The Beast In Me
by GabrielleJeane
Summary: Hermione narrowly escaped after Voldemort became victor at the Battle of Hogwarts only to be found five years later by Lucius Malfoy who brings with him an intriguing proposition she can not ignore; an older, far more malevolent magic than ever before imagined has been found and is being harnessed by the Dark Lord rendering everyone in danger if he is not stopped. MAJOR M RATING!
1. Chapter 1

**This story is going to be MAJORLY M rated so be forewarned. This is merely a prologue however it sort of sets the tone for the entire story. DH not ignored, just altered. Nothing belongs to me it all belongs to goddess J.K. Eventual Severus involvement**

**Prologue**

"There is no marriage law declaring us to carry forth a suitable companionship… no other wizard holding me to a bargain long since struck…" the heat given off by the fire roaring behind her was nearly overwhelming, his breath was warm against her bare neck and he smelled thickly of brandy and cigars, "no my little Golden Girl, there is nothing as trivial as that at work here…" his tongue darted out of his mouth and laved against her overly sensitized skin making her squirm and moan against him despite her best, most honest efforts, "there is only my lust for you in the room with us tonight. This is not about love or procreation… this is about my nearly insatiable desire to carry you up to my bed and fuck your mudblood brains out."

"Then why are we to marry?" she asked breathily, unable to deny the rampant desire coursing through her at the sensation of his large hands running up and down her sides, grabbing her hips and pulling her forward to grind against his aching erection that seemed so barely contained.

"Because, my little coquette," he growled against her skin, nipping it none too gently, "when we are married I am able to keep you all to myself. To have you whenever I so choose… whenever I feel the urge to bury myself deep within your tight cunt…" he hissed that last word making her grind her teeth at the dirtiness she felt just being subject to such talk.

"You will lose fun after raping me a few times." She responded bluntly, hoping to cut through the haze of alcohol clouding his mind. He laughed throatily, his chest rumbling with the action. She rested her head against his shoulder, the strange desire to have her hands free, not so she could slap him or attack him but run her hands through his hair, to find out if it was as soft as it looked, overwhelmed her.

"Can it be considered rape if you desire it?" he offered darkly.

"I'll never want it." _You fucking liar,_ she screamed at herself mentally.

"You have no idea how much you will Hermione…" he groaned, arching his hips to press his throbbing cock against her despite the many layers of clothes separating them, "I'll make you fucking beg for it."

"He shall suspect your intentions." She offered, praying they would change the subject lest she melt in his arms any further.

"He shall suspect nothing but my utmost loyalty… especially if we make it look convincing," His arm shot up, his hand wrapping around her upper arm to span its entire circumference and squeeze harshly until she hissed, his perfectly manicured nails digging into her flesh until she was certain she'd be bruised, "so what do you say Hermione? Are you agreeing to my proposition?" he whispered in her ear. It seemed so much simpler when he was declaring it to be about the sex and only that, none of these potentially life threatening circumstances…

But in the end what choice did she have? Pair up with Lucius and overthrow the Dark Lord and his pursuit of the darkest magic she'd ever imagined, saving the wizarding world with only her innocence being lost… or protecting her virtue at the cost of becoming a prisoner of Voldemort and having said magic potentially turned upon her in the end?

_Agree to his bargain, overthrow the Dark Lord and while he is riding the high of his victory slash his throat…_ she mused darkly, astonished at the direction her own thoughts had taken. Her mind was awash with a smiling, happy Lucius having his throat gouged with a knife… of freeing the entire wizarding world of the oppression it had been subjected to for far too long by not only Voldemort but all his followers as well.

Maybe she had no innocence to lose.

"Yes… I agree…" she found herself muttering before she could stop.

"We start tonight." He growled against her neck. Standing he grabbed her butt and held her against him, her legs wrapping around his hips as he slowly walked them towards the doorway and, inevitably, up to his bedroom.

She could already feel the knife in her hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Special shout out to Strix nebulosa for a wonderful and much appreciated (not to mention extensive) review of the previous chapter! Thank you so very much! **

**Five Years Earlier**

Hermione landed on the dewy grass on her hands and knees, her lungs burning with the need to take a deep breath. The wide expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean was spread out before her in a vast array of choppy waves and muted grey tones. The sky was filled with dismal, low hanging clouds that promised rain. Her eyes burned with long overdue tears, she sucked in a shaky, painful breath that was abruptly cut short by bile rising up from her empty stomach and erupting from her mouth. She was horrified but not surprised to see it tinged heavily with blood as it coated the wet grass beneath her. She dared not wipe her mouth lest she cover herself any further with the blood of her peers that was already nearly dripping from her.

She carefully fell to the grass a few feet away from her vomit and let loose a bone rattling sob unparalleled to any before; it echoed off the bluffs around her as she gripped the blades of vegetation between her fingers, reaching for anything to staunch the pain overwhelming her.

"Fuck!" she screamed, tears falling rapidly from her eyes down her temples and into her hair, leaving lines of clean skin in their wake as they washed the blood away. Her stomach was in knots from the pain to the point where she felt like she needed to throw up more but there was nothing left to expunge so she was left spasming and aching.

She could still vividly picture and feel Harry lying lifeless in her arms after Voldemort had finished his work. Just before mayhem had ensued and everyone began panicking she had been able to run up to him and hold him within her arms, his life having already left him. It made her hurt all over to picture the lifelessness in his eyes, no longer bright and full of the love he'd always shown everyone through the years.

Everyone that ever mattered to her was now dead… Ron ran towards his death in a flurry of vengeance and anger, his life quickly and easily being extinguished by Bellatrix. Neville had been in a dual with Fenrir only to be torn to shreds once his attention was distracted. Luna was throwing spells left and right at Lucius who used her meager experience with dueling to his advantage, slamming her with an Avada Kedavra when she was unable to come up with another spell to use.

_And here you lay… safe and sound, far away from the battle still taking place… _she thought to herself, suddenly becoming angry at her cowardliness. But in the end what good would it do if she also died? To whom would her death benefit other than Voldemort?

No one.

That thought was the very one that led her from the thick of the fight into the girl's lavatory on the fifth floor which was nearly empty. She had stood in a dilapidated stall with her beaded bag in her hand with the very last of her possessions held within its endless depth. That thought was the one that propelled her to apparate herself to Egypt then Brazil before finally landing here.

The last place they would ever look for her, the one place with the least magical population in the whole world.

She sat up slowly and stared at the brightly colored sign high up on one of the bluffs declaring her location to be Juniper, Maine.

America…

None of them would ever look here if she never used anything with her magical signature.

_Break her wand…_ she thought to herself. Reaching into her bag she gripped its slender handle and pulled it forth slowly, more nervous than was logical. It felt sick and wrong to be holding Bellatrix's wand but it was the last thing tying her to the wizarding world other than her bag but that was nothing of great significance, a wand was.

_It tortured and killed so many…_ she mused, gazing down at the strangely arched piece of wood in her fingers. It would be such a relief to destroy it but then again it would hurt so bad; she would surely be trapped here forever with absolutely no hope of returning to her true home.

"Shit…" she muttered, dropping it back into the bag where it clattered deep within its recesses amongst a few glasses, "I guess I'll just keep it hidden." It felt too symbolic at this point in time to do anything that drastic after what she had just been subject to for months on end.

Gripping the bag tightly in her hands she shoved her heavy thoughts away and made her way to a well-worn path leading down the edge of the bluff almost like a ramp towards the shoreline. Her feet stung with every step she took but she carried on, ignoring the pain of the rocks digging into her arches.

She precariously followed the path until she reached a small three foot high cliff that dropped off into the water but was a few feet from the sandy shore. Tossing her bag onto the sand she held her breath and jumped into the deep water before giving herself any time for a second thought. Its iciness immediately assaulted her but it felt invigorating, she finally felt semi clean. Erupting from the water she took a deep, ragged breath and swam towards the shore where she could stand in the shallow part and wipe the blood away.

Grabbing her bag she fished out a hand towel, a beach towel and a set of dry clothing along with her wallet. Dipping the towel in the water she vigorously scrubbed the caked on blood until her skin burned and tingled and even then she didn't feel entirely clean.

Dipping back down into the water one more time she waded towards the shore, grabbing the large, fluffy towel she wrapping it tightly around her shoulders so it covered her nearly down to her feet.

Bloody water was still rolling off her skin when she heard a telltale 'pop' behind her making her jump to her feet, dropping the towel onto the sand she grabbed her bag and immediately fished out the wand she had previously been prepared to snap in half. Gripping the slender piece of wood in her clenched fist she turned and aimed it towards her visitor, her legs automatically dropping into an instinctual dueling stance.

"Who's there?" she called out. Her heart jumped into her throat when Lucius Malfoy rounded the corner, his wand poised and ready. Without hesitating she threw a Confrigo at him only to have it blast off the rock beside him, his black robes showered with grey dust. Before she had time to blast him with something else he threw an Expilliarmusat her, her wand flying from her fingers and landing in the wet sand a few meters away.

Before she could move to run towards her wand he was upon her, his wand pressed to her throat.

"Didn't think we'd find you did you?" he snarled, his voice raspy and strained. Despite the fear creeping up her throat she took a deep breath and inventoried him, considering possibly physically attacking him although she usually avoided such things. He looked pale and pasty, his cheek bones paid painful homage to just how unhealthy he was. His eyes were ringed with dark circles that loudly announced his recent inability to sleep… he looked nothing like the healthy, bright older wizard she'd hated so much. He was a shell of a man on the edge and falling fast.

"You've been splinched." She muttered, glancing down at his torn up trousers that offered a peek of the ravaged, bloody skin beneath.

"Shut your mouth." He growled.

"You followed me the entire time?" she ignored his command boldly. She knew for certain that he would be unable to ignore the pain much longer; it was only a waiting game until he broke down.

"I lost you after Egypt but you weren't hard to find." He began breathing more heavily, his teeth clenched firmly.

The pain was getting to him quickly.

"I can fix that for you." She offered, hoping it would stall him before he decided to do anything drastic such as Avada her.

"I don't need your blasphemous, primitive methods of healing Mudblood."

"If I don't you might not be able to keep your leg." She informed him.

"It's a worthwhile risk." He muttered.

"Why haven't you killed me yet then?" this seemed to make him think. He paused for a fraction of a second before grinding his teeth and shoving his wand more firmly into the sensitive skin of her throat.

"Shut your fucking mouth." He snarled.

"Let me help you." She continued.

"Mudbloods like you cannot be trusted." He seemed to be reasoning away her offering.

"Maybe so but Lucius, let me help you." She knew she had him convinced when his eyes darted down to her bag then back up to her. Pulling his wand from her throat he flicked it down towards her bag.

"Open it." Hermione reached down and pulled the top of it open so he could point his wand inside and mutter, "Accio dittany." A small glass bottle popped out of the top of the bag and into his open hand. Hermione released one side of the bag and held her hand out to him, hesitantly he pressed the bottle into her waiting palm and sank to the ground; finally allowing his weakened state to show.

She kneeled beside him and pulled the cork out, tipping the bottle just slightly she allowed a few drops to fall from it's opening onto his profusely bleeding wounds. He hissed slightly, his hands clenching in the sand.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked once the pain seemed to have passed and his skin was stitching itself back together.

"Why shouldn't I?" he muttered, "I've wanted to kill you since the day we first met at Flourish and Blotts…"

"You're a monster." She muttered. His hand darted up from the sand to grab her arm, pulling her in close so their faces were nearly touching. It was hard for her to deny the fact that she had also wanted to kill him since that point in time.

"You act surprised." He growled.

"Don't kill me." She told him, refusing to beg for her life. She was tired of running and fighting, if he chose to kill her now then she would accept it and allow it to happen… her resolve had left her entirely.

"I don't think I shall." He responded. She was more than a little surprised at his declaration, she had been fully expecting him to ignore her and end her right here.

"What?" she muttered.

"I won't kill you," he stood once his skin was all patched up. Grabbing her arm he hauled her up beside him, his wand pressing into her hip, "I'll leave you here to live with the knowledge than I can find you any time… that I know where you are. And when I need you in the future I shall come for you and you shall follow without fight, agreed?" he worded it like a deal but said it like a demand.

"What makes you think you'll need me in the future?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Call it a hunch." She wanted to but was entirely unconvinced.

"You know something the rest of us don't." she muttered, her voice thick with fear at what he was leaving unsaid. He released her arm so roughly she fell back slightly before catching herself from falling on the sand.

"All you need to know is I will come for you eventually and you had better be prepared." He threatened darkly.

"When?"

"It could be five days or five years." He finished before a loud 'pop' resounded amongst the rocks and he was gone.

Even after coming this far she couldn't leave them…

Voldemort and his cronies would stay with her forever even if she ran for the rest of her life.

** Let me know what you think! **

** XOXO- Gabby**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know this was updated rather quickly but I was up until roughly 4 in the morning writing it and I would feel terrible making you guys wait. Thank you so much for the awesome reviews! Once more, Strix nebulosa you rock!**

**5 years later**

"Have a nice night Penelope!" Crystal, the head librarian at the Juniper Public Library, called out to Hermione who simply smiled and waved as she walked out the large library doors, shutting the main lights off as she went. Every time someone called her by her fake name she felt a slight twinge of pain at the extensive secrets she kept from all of them. Five years later and she had changed every single shred of her being from her wildly curly hair that was now chemically straightened almost religiously down to the tiniest details of her life story such as she was born in Idaho, she'd even gone so far as to fake an American accent which she was becoming all too skilled at.

The only things kept the same were things like her height that would take a serious amount of magic to change and her hair color; she just couldn't bring herself to muddy her natural honey colored locks with some chemicals from a bottle that would grow out.

Every day that passed made it easier to live with herself, but only slightly. Not a night went by without vivid, horrifying nightmares that woke her up and made her unable to fall back asleep. She was losing weight rapidly as she found herself unable to eat very much lest she vomit it back up. But with every day she came closer to being able to sleep a minute longer and eat one more chip.

Hell, tonight she was going on a date with a coworker who opened the library every morning.

Her progress was not lost on her.

Running her hands through her now wind tousled hair she carefully traipsed her way over the thick sheet of ice building along the sidewalk on her way to the bar they had mutually agreed upon. Her heart rate was rapidly rising with every step she took towards the neon littered windows that decorated her destination. He was a nice enough guy and was certainly not hard to look at but something felt wrong, almost as though she was betraying Ron by consorting with other men even though he had been dead for over five years…

"You deserve this 'Mione…" she muttered to herself, pushing all thoughts of her previous life aside. It was high time she start living her new life to the fullest and this seemed like the best way to start. Grabbing the handle of the door once she had reached it she yanked it open and stepped into the stifling warmth of the bar.

"Penelope!" she heard almost instantly. John was standing with a beer in one hand while the other one was waving her over. She smiled widely as she made her way through the crush of people shouting and laughing at a television. As of late she was taking a liking to the small idiosyncrasies muggles had, having completely forgotten their ability to get so easily worked up about things such as sports teams and television shows.

"I'm so glad you made it." John smiled down at her, giving her an innocent peck on the cheek that for some reason made a spark of dread run down her spine. Shaking off the sensation she sat down at the bar beside him and ordered herself a locally made Pilsner.

"So how was your day?" he initiated the small talk that always made her want to scream.

"It was good, long. How was yours?" she offered politely despite her intense desire to run home and avoid this situation entirely.

"Not half bad," he smiled, giving her a polite if not thorough once over, "you look very nice."

She was surely going to scream.

##

His lips felt entirely too wrong on hers. His tongue was warm and hesitant but despite his sincere niceness she felt something overwhelming shouting at her to stop. His hand were buried in her hair that was now beginning to curl ever so slightly at the ends, his body pressing hers against the door to her small rented cottage she didn't remember inviting him to.

"Penelope…" he muttered against her lips.

"I think you should leave." She whispered breathily, his use of her pseudonym making her snap out of it.

"But I thought… I thought we were having a nice time." He sounded like she'd just run over his puppy.

"We were but…" she trailed off.

"But what?" he prodded gently. She mentally shouted at herself for being so silly and letting her nervousness get to her head, it was positively stupid to feel this caged in as though she wasn't allowed to have another consenting adult in her own home which she'd been renting successfully for the past year and a half.

Damn them for making her so paranoid. If she wanted to have someone else in her life she damn well would.

"Forget I said anything, please come inside." She smiled up at him, happy to see the hope was renewed in his gaze. She turned around and immediately pulled the keys from her small purse, unlocking the door once she had the correct one firmly between her thumb and forefinger.

Once they stepped inside and the door closed behind them she was in his arms, one of his hands going into her hair while the other pressed against her lower back. Hermione dropped her bag immediately, shoving her hands into his close cropped hair. She moaned hotly against his lips, little zings of pleasure flooding her for the first time since they'd begun kissing. It was beginning to feel only slightly more right but that was enough for her. She didn't hesitate to allow him to lift her into his arms, her legs easily wound around his hips as he held her in his arms, his hard length pressing into her heated core. She moaned audibly against his lips when he arched his hips forward into hers.

"Bedroom?" he asked. She nipped at his lips gently before nodding over to the stairs, almost laughing when he darted for them and nearly toppled over the very first step. Smiling widely he carried her up the stairs with little difficulty and down the hallway to the last door on the right. Once in the bedroom he stormed over to her bed and dropped her down upon its surface unceremoniously but the lack of grace was lost on her. Hermione sat up and began working at the button of his jeans while he was wrestling his jacket and shirt off.

Once his pants were undone and his shirt was off she dove in and immediately began showering his tanned, heated skin with kisses. She was delightfully surprised with his chiseled musculature, her teeth nipping gently at his toned hips near the hem of his boxers. Looking up at him wickedly she smiled, gripping them with her teeth she daringly tugged them down his hips with his pants falling easily to the ground. She felt completely uninhibited and free with him… it was entirely too refreshing.

John moaned gruffly when her small hands gripped his cock. Hermione was neither stunned nor disappointed; it was average and that was all she could ask for. He stopped her once she had begun leaning forward, her mouth open and ready to take him.

"I want to see you too." He muttered lowly. Fear pierced her deeply at this; her scars were evident beneath her clothing and the last thing she wanted was questions. She had been hoping that he would settle for her being only partially undressed but apparently not…

"Let's just make this about you." She offered, hoping to assuage him.

"I want this to be about you as well." He smiled sweetly down at her and tugged her shirt gently.

"Let me run to the bathroom really quick." She gave him one last kiss on the hip before darting off the bed to the lavatory.

Once the door was shut behind her she kneeled down and ripped the cabinet doors open. Reaching up behind the fake drawer fronts she grabbed her wand that had been duct taped there for over four years now. Ripping it away from the wood she pulled off the tacky pieces of tape and stood; pointing it at her abdomen where the worst scars were she muttered a simple glamour spell that, amazingly, worked perfectly.

Throwing the wand back under the sink she opened the bathroom door and confidently walked out into the bedroom.

John immediately rushed her and tugged her flimsy blouse over her head. Once it was off Hermione grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in, planting her lips firmly against his as he began working at the button of her trousers which he had undone in no time.

Without ceremony he detached his lips from hers and bent over, gathering her legs in his arms he swung her over his shoulder and carried her back to the bed with Hermione giggling the entire way.

Throwing her gently onto its surface he fell atop her and began showering her face and neck with little kisses that had her smiling and moaning in unison.

She thanked her stars that her bra was a front clasping one when his fingers deftly disengaged the clasp and the cups fell to the side. Without warning his lips took one of her nipples, his tongue laved at the tight bud sending shockwaves of pleasure rocketing to her core. She began moaning more heavily, her hands winding into his short hair, when all too horribly a 'pop' sounded down the stairs.

To the average muggle this sound would go completely unnoticed but to her it was an all too familiar beacon of danger yet to come.

"Shit…" she muttered, shoving at John who promptly disengaged his lips and stared down at her like she was crazy.

"Get up John!" she hissed, shoving at him.

"What? Why?" he was a little slow to process her demands.

"Get the fuck up!" she whispered more firmly. Her unwanted guest's footsteps were heavy on the wood floor downstairs, a sickening reminder of what could possibly happen.

Luckily John stood and Hermione was able to dart around him and into the bathroom, grabbing her wand she ran back and grabbed the sheet from her now messy bed.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, a little irritated. Hermione wrapped the sheet around her and pointed the wand at him.

"You need to leave right now." She told him hurriedly. The intense fear piercing her stomach made her want to curl up under her bed until the monsters left but she couldn't do that… not now.

"Why Penelope?" he begged making Hermione's stomach turn. Without a second thought she aimed her wand towards him and muttered "obliviate," the tip of her wand illuminating ever so slightly.

John just stood there looking at her until she was finished and lowered her wand.

"John, I need you to exit through that window quickly and silently. Then you need to go home." She commanded, handing him his clothing along with his car keys that had fallen out of his pocket. Without another word he opened the window and climbed out, easily descending on the trellis directly beneath.

Once he landed on the snow covered lawn the footsteps began rapidly ascending the stairs. Hermione turned quickly and pointed her wand towards her open door, prepared for the absolute worst.

Her heart stopped when Lucius Malfoy rounded the corner.

"How did you…" she began but stopped herself, remembering the conversation they'd had five years ago, "are you here to kill me finally?" she asked.

He stood stock still in her doorway just staring at her and saying nothing. She held her stance but allowed herself to take in his appearance; he was no longer malnourished and sickly looking. He looked just like he had when they had first met with long, lustrous blonde locks and piercing grey eyes that seemed to bore holes into their subject of inquisition.

He was wearing his signature black Death Eater robes but held his silver mask in his hand while the hood lay against his back. His own wand was clenched in his fist but unraised as though he felt no threat in her.

"It seems I've interrupted either you fucking yourself," he insinuated with a wicked smile, "or you had a boy in here whom you've just obliviated and sent out that open window." He motioned to the wide open window blowing frosty air into her room.

"Fuck you Malfoy." She snarled.

"You've changed your hair." He muttered, ignoring her curse.

"And?"

"I don't like it." He declared before silently flicking his wand towards her, her hair began waving and coiling until it returned to its original unruly state.

"There," he growled lowly, "much better."

"Do you care to tell me why you are here if not to kill me?"

"I said I would need you in the future… well the future has arrived and I am here to collect you." He stated evenly as though discussing a business deal.

"Eat shit Malfoy." She muttered.

"You've developed quite a nasty dialogue… it must be all the canoodling with muggles," he smiled as though thoroughly amused with himself, "well no matter, I'm taking you anyway." Before she could blink he raised his arm and her wand went flying from her hand without him muttering a single word. She backed up rapidly as he rushed her, her back pressing against the wall beside the open window. He stopped a few inches from her, his wand at his side but not poised.

"You've grown." He muttered, reaching up he took the edge of the sheet between his fingers and tugged at it until it fell from her grasp and onto the floor. She bit her lip against the rage welling up inside her at his languid inventory of her body, his gaze felt hot and heavy against her skin as though he was picturing himself inside her… the thought alone was enough to make her shiver angrily.

"Get away from me Malfoy." She snarled when he slowly began to lean forward but he was unmoved. He continued his slowly journey forward until his nose gently touched the sensitive skin in front of her ear; his back was arched downwards slightly to make up for the vast height discrepancy between them.

"We need you back Hermione." He muttered lowly, shocking her with the use of her first name instead of Mudblood.

"Why?" she prodded, liking the anger that sparking in his gaze, "you can't stand to show your cards and play your hand can you Malfoy?" he snarled but didn't deny it.

"Voldemort has asked me personally to seek you out,"

"I'm even less inclined to go now."

"Allow me to finish," he breathed out exasperatedly, "he has discovered something. Well he _had _discovered something just before the Battle of Hogwarts but he's hit a dead end with it and that's why he needs you."

"And why should I help you monsters?" she snarled immediately after the last word left his mouth, not needing any time to think about it.

"Because what he is doing, if he regains success, will be the undoing of all those he's ever found to be an enemy. All muggle-borns, muggles and half-bloods shall be executed without mercy." She felt renewed horror at the picture he was painting but in all reality this vendetta of his was none so surprising.

"Sounds like the same drivel he's been preaching for years." She shrugged.

"Will you let me finish?" he snapped, "Of course that is the same but there's something different… the Inferi are back but it's far worse than before. Before they were just mindless zombies who knew none other than what they were ordered to do but he found a way to breathe life into them, make them mindful and nearly free thinking." He finished as though that answered everything. It was bad enough that he was becoming able to resurrect the Inferi but having the ability to make them not only his loyal followers but also beings of free will while being completely unable to exercise their freedom was sick and wrong.

"What are you not telling me?" she prodded, knowing he was leaving a major detail out.

"Before I finish you have to agree to come with me without a fight." He bartered.

"How can I agree to that when my life might be at stake?!" she screeched, thoroughly frustrated with his evasive maneuvers.

"Your life is at stake whether you come with me or not… at least this way you can fight him and no just sit by idly as it happens all around you."

"This is rich coming from you! You were sent to collect me and now you're telling me that I should come with you so I can fight him? You're on his goddamned side!" she shouted.

"What made you think I was with him in this endeavor? Do you really think I let you live because I fancied you? I let your whereabouts go unknown because I knew a point would be reached when he would need your help to make him more powerful and I would need your help to kill him," she opened her mouth to respond scathingly to his monologue when a 'pop' echoed through the hall, "don't do it for me Hermione…" he muttered, stepping back towards the door and out of her line of sight just as their newest visitor came sauntering through.

"Do it for him." he muttered as Severus Snape stood broodingly before her.


	4. Chapter 4

"How…" Hermione muttered past the thick pain in her throat. Her hand fluttered up to cover her mouth in sheer shock, "how are you here?" she slowly approached the darkly dressed professor who stood stock still with the same old sardonic look on his face. She was near enough to touch him with her fingertips when Lucius wrapped an arm around her shoulders to stop her.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, "I saw your dead body! I thought you had died Severus…" she shouted angrily at the unaffected man, "do you know how that felt?! To think I would never see you again! That I would never hear your voice! And yet here you are…" the barrage of emotions were overwhelming and confusing. On one hand she wanted to slap him for making her live with the pain of thinking him dead, on the other hand she didn't want to let him know just how much she had truly cared about him at the time of his death and on yet another hand she wanted to run up and jump into his arms.

A girl could only take so much.

"Stay back Hermione." Lucius warned her lowly.

"Let me go Malfoy! You could at least give me this…" she looked at him pleadingly, knowing he full well understood what she wanted.

"I can't let you do that." He told her levelly.

"Severus, tell him to let me go." She turned towards the professor and begged.

"I cannot do that Hermione. You need to stay as far away from me as possible. I only came to serve as an example and proof of Lucius's claims." Her confusion mounted tenfold but she stopped fighting against him.

"What do you mean?" she began, her mind working a mile a minute as to what he could be hinting, "You aren't a part of the Inferi are you?" she asked hesitantly, praying to god he wasn't.

"In some ways I am… but in many ways I am not." Her head began to hurt.

"Will one of you just give me a clear answer already?!" she hollered, tears springing to her eyes. The desire to reach out and touch him was damn near overwhelming her…

"He's been made a vampire Hermione…" Lucius muttered lowly after a few moments of her sobbing silently. Her first instinct was to laugh at the ridiculousness of his claim but something made her stop. Vampirism was the grey area in wizarding; there had been claims of vampire's wellbeing for centuries but never had there been any substantial evidence to back up those claims other than Sanguini but even he had been fleeting and non-informative.

"You lie." She spat at him, her eyes still glued to the professor who looked the same as he always had.

"He is telling the truth." Severus confirmed and, much to her intense horror, flashed her a wicked smile to reveal a pair of lethally long sharp incisors. Her stomach churned at the sight but she was completely unable to move or say anything; the gravity of the situation was that heavy.

"Severus… oh god…" was all she could muster. She began shoving at Lucius again, desperate to disengage his iron like grasp on her.

"Hermione don't…" he muttered, tightening his hold.

"Let me go, I'm an adult; I know what I'm getting myself into." She whipped her head around and glared at him with such intense pain it made him ache much to his confusion. Against his better judgment he loosened his hold and dropping his arm, allowing her to go free and tentatively walk towards the dark man still standing stiffly in the doorway. Severus stiffened noticeably with each step she took towards him; her scent wafted in his direction making his fangs drip with saliva, how sweet she would taste on his tongue…

The hell of it was it wasn't just her blood he was thinking about.

"Severus…" she muttered, stopping short just a few inches so she could stare up at him in amazement and grief. Slowly she raised her hand, her fingers outstretched to brush against the thick black fabric that made his robes. He hissed when she pressed the pads of her fingers more heavily against him; the heat of her skin tangible through the many layers of clothing separating him. He could feel the tiny flutter of her heartbeat through the thin layer of her skin and it made him ache.

"You shouldn't be this close to me," He muttered thickly, his fangs taking up more room in his mouth than he was used to even after all this time. He had never felt desire this pungent before even when the Dark Lord would bring fresh young humans to his room; none had ever smelled as intoxicating as her vanilla tinged aroma, "especially given your current state of undress." His eyes darted down to take in the view of her tanned, unblemished skin and pert breasts that only succeeded in making him harder and more hungry for her. He couldn't deny that he wanted to touch her too, to take back those years when everything was more simple and they held a guileless student teacher relationship; when she hated his guts and constantly outperformed everyone like the insufferable little know-it-all that she always would be… but things had changed too much, even in those last few months she had grown and blossomed into a strong willed, hard headed woman which only served to make him feel more for her than appropriate…

"I can't believe that you are here… in my bedroom… alive." She muttered, staring at him like he was a ghost.

"Alive is hardly the word I would use to describe myself." He muttered sardonically, pleased when a small smile lit up her face.

"Do you see why we need you?" Lucius piped up from behind them. He slowly approached the two of them, his eyes searching Hermione's once they met, "Without your help he will raise all those who aided him and died… then he will make them all this." His hand motioned towards Severus.

"Are you the only one he's made?" she asked.

"Vampire yes; Inferi no," he began, gulping against a particularly strong wave of bloodlust, "I am still obliged to follow his orders but I have a free mind and almost completely free will but the others he's made are entirely at his mercy… he made me as a sort of experiment but when he attempted to make another it went severely wrong and he is unable to reproduce the results he had with me. Knowing you escaped successfully he sent Lucius and I to find you at all costs knowing that although you are a mudblood you hold the answers he needs." He explained.

"Why doesn't he just open a book? All the information here," she tapped her temple, "came from those."

"He had all books destroyed once he took power. None were spared, not even those that would have been of use to him. He feared someone from the 'resistance' would get a hold of one and use it against him. So the knowledge everyone had before is the knowledge we are all stuck with." Lucius offered. She wanted to laugh at the stupidity of the situation but held her tongue.

"He's just going to kill me once I give him what he wants." She stated bluntly as if daring them to contradict her.

"Not necessarily." Severus retorted like she knew he would.

"And what makes you say that?"

"You would be far too useful to him to be killed. The repercussions of his actions are not lost on him so he needs everything he can get his hands on. You help him and he will let you live… but of course we have a plan in mind for when he regains the power." Lucius told her.

"And that is to kill him?" her eyes darted between the two wizards.

"Yes." Lucius muttered.

"Why the change of heart? You were his right hand man Lucius and now you want to kill him? Sounds like a crock of shit to me." She snapped venomously.

"He killed Narcissa… After Draco died during the post battle while trying to capture a few half-bloods Narcissa went mad and began preaching against him… needless to say he did away with her not long after she began defying him." years old heartache resounded in his voice but she refused to feel pity. It was just what they all deserved.

"So here's how I understand all of this," Hermione began, shrugging of the nagging sensation of remorse that was creeping up her spine, "you want me to accompany you back into his clutches where I shall then aid him in creating more vampire Inferi half breeds to serve his every whim. Then when he regains power you are going to kill him and that's that?"

"Essentially…" Lucius nodded.

"You sound like you're leaving something out."

"This is all going to take a considerable amount of time, he won't just leave it be once you give him sufficient information," Severus explained, "begin able to raise the dead and create vampires out of them successfully takes a long time to master. He will want to keep you around until he is able to achieve just one then he will want to kill you but we need something to give us an edge, something to convince him that you will be a loyal and useful to him."

"But I won't… be loyal that is." She interjected.

"Yes but we need him to think that you will so no more lives are lost, especially yours." Lucius finished for Severus.

"Your mind will be the greatest asset to rebuilding once we defeat him, without you the next generation will be a bunch of bumbling idiots… we haven't the expanse of knowledge that you do to educate them properly when it comes time for that." Hermione felt like her head was primed to explode given the plethora of planning and information she was being given but she held back, interested to hear what they had in mind.

"So what _exactly_ is in this for me? Because it just sounds like you are planning to use me." She asked.

"His death and the assurance that the next generation of wizards will not live in ignorance and fear." Tempting…

"You have me nearly convinced… but what is our 'edge'?" she steeled herself against what she expected to be an entirely repugnant proposition.

"We need to convince him that you are entirely loyal and a worthwhile asset to him," Severus began cautiously which only served to scare her more, "he needs to have no shadow of a doubt of this."

"I am entirely against this plan of action as well but it is the only truly convincing thing we could do." Lucius interjected making her look at him in shock and fear; it had to be bad.

"Tell me now." She demanded hotly.

"We need you to… marry Lucius."


	5. Chapter 5

"You're joking…" she laughed, her eyes darting back and forth between them, "that's your master plan? You're crazy if you think I'm going to go along with that." She scoffed and turned around. Walking to her dresser she yanked the third drawer open and pulled an oversized t-shirt from its confines. Pulling it over her head to cover herself she couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of their proposition. Marry Lucius? A snowball had a better chance of surviving in hell than her doing that. The shirt had just cleared her head and settled on her neck when Lucius approached her quickly making her gasp and back up against the chest of drawers.

"I find it amusing that you think you have a choice in the matter." He muttered darkly. Reaching forward he grabbed her forearms and hauled her against his broad chest, his nose nearly touching hers. For a minute she was scared that he was going to kiss her but that was quickly assuaged by Severus piping up behind them.

"The portkey is going to activate any second now." He announced, pulling a silver trinket from his pocket and setting it on the vanity directly beside where he stood. Hermione made the instant connection and immediately began fighting against his steely grip around her waist.

"Don't you fucking dare!" she shouted, her heart beating faster at the imminent prospect of returning to Malfoy Manor which was surely where they were headed, "Don't take me back there!" the memories began coming back in vivid flashes making her feel weak in the knees. She could still feel and smell Bellatrix's rancid breath against her face… could still feel the sharp, white hot pain of the knife against the skin of her forearm where she still bared the scars. She stopped fighting against his grip and began tugging it, begging him, "Please Lucius… you can't take me back there!" she felt a million kinds of pathetic for begging but it was all her brain could come up with.

"Shh…" he hushed her, pressing his lips to her forehead in an unnerving gesture of kindness that was entirely unlike him, "you're safe." He continued while backing them up towards the portkey which, to her, seemed like a death sentence.

"You cannot guarantee that Malfoy." She muttered pitifully, hating how she sounded.

"Just hold on to me." He whispered, stopping them once they were directly in front of the small silver elephant that was their transportation back to the world she'd worked so hard to leave behind.

"Can I at least gather up some clothes to take with me?" she asked but he shook his head.

"We need to leave now," he told her gently making her want to smack him for acting so differently. She almost preferred him to act like the asshole he had always been; this Lucius made her uncomfortable, "I will take care of the clothing issue tomorrow."

"Damn you…" she muttered, looking between the two wizards that flanked her on both sides. They looked down at her with a gaze that belayed regret but Severus grabbed her hand while Lucius kept his arm wrapped around her stomach. Together they reached forward and pressed tentative fingers against the cool metal surface of the elephant.

##

Lucius and Severus landed gracefully on the overly soft rug in the center of his study whereas Hermione fell on her back near the fireplace, her breath rushing from her chest with an 'oomph.' Severus immediately rushed over and grabbed her by the elbow, helping her to stand against the spinning room that made her wobble. Once she was safely standing on her own two feet he released her and stormed towards the door muttering, "I need to feed," and slamming it behind him. Lucius chuckled knowingly and poured himself and Hermione a drink.

"Drink this," he commanded, handing her the drink and leading her to the leather clad sofa. Without hesitation she downed its entire contents in one swift gulp much to his amusement.

"So the Golden Girl of Gryffindor learned how to drink… interesting."

"Anything to make me feel more comfortable…" she retorted, heat flooding her face from the sudden intake of liquor, "Goddamn you by the way Lucius!" she shouted. Standing she rushed over to the bar to pour herself two fingers worth of firewhiskey. She downed that dose with the same speed as the previous one and poured herself some more then returned to the sofa where Lucius sat smiling. Before she could stop herself she pulled her arm back and swung it forward, her hand connecting with his left cheek in a deafening smack that made her still in fear. His drink slipped from his grasp in shock, the amber colored liquid pouring over his white shirt that had been revealed by him opening his robes. He sat there stock still, not a sound fell from his mouth until he turned his head and stared at her in complete shock.

Hermione felt her already heavy heart fall into her stomach when his eyes flashed with rage. He shoved himself from the sofa and grabbed her arm, not allowing her to back away from his advancement this time. He held her in an intensely painful grip that made her arm start tingling as he glared down at her.

"Never do that again." He stated simply but darkly in a way that made her shiver.

"I'm sorry Lucius…" she began but he cut her off with a hand on her throat pressing just enough to make a statement not actually cut off oxygen.

"Spare your apologies Mudblood," he snarled, "I am doing you a favor by offering marriage unto you; you had better begin appreciating what I am doing or I shall not hesitate to end you right here and tell the Dark Lord you had died in a car crash." She didn't think her heart could beat any more rapidly but she was wrong. She honestly didn't know what possessed her and made her think that was right to do but she wished more than anything she could take it back.

So much for a smooth transition.

"Perhaps I should just go to bed…" she offered. He seemed to become further infuriated by this; gripping her tighter he pulled her towards a lone chair beside the sofa and threw her down into it, her drink falling from her hand onto the rug beneath them. He held on to the arms of the chair on either side of her, his face close to hers effectively creating a cage around her so she couldn't run.

"We need to get a few things straight first Mudblood," he began, his breath fanning her face warmly, "to begin; you have NO option in this marriage. I am not about to let the entire wizarding world fall to pieces because you are too chicken shit to do what is right. I don't desire to marry you either but I am willing to do it if it means saving another life; I have taken too many and I am not about to let it continue." Her temper flared but she kept it quiet; best to let him have his moment she figured.

"You also are never to do that again. That was completely immature not to mention infuriating. Do not strike unless you are prepared to be struck back understood?" she nodded slowly after he let her digest for a moment, "because I shall not hesitate next time." Her skin felt hot like she was stoking an inner fire that yearned to be released.

"And finally," his eyes steeled, "you better play your part well or else it means death for all of us." This threat felt worse than the rest because she had no doubt in her mind as to the validity of it. She opened her mouth to respond but was immediately stifled by his mouth pressing against hers. His tongue dove into her mouth with a shocking amount of force that left her entirely breathless; tingles of desire exploded in her stomach against her will.

But the kiss was over just as quickly as it was initiated. He yanked his face back from hers with a look akin to confusion and disgust; it made her want to slap him again but she stopped herself, not willing to take that chance again so soon.

"Know this Granger," he muttered, his lips swollen and his eyes glazed, "this is not about, nor will it ever be about, love."

"Then why did you kiss me?" she instigated. The confusion was now taking paramount in his gaze as he stared her down.

"I don't know." He muttered just before shoving himself away and storming over to the bar area. She sat there dazedly staring at his retreating form, her mind a mess of confusion and a sick desire for him to return and finish the kiss but she chalked it up to the unmet need that burgeoned between her and John earlier; there was no way she was legitimately feeling these things for a monster like Lucius Malfoy.

"Where am I to be sleeping tonight?" she asked after an eternity of tense silence.

"Up the stairs to the right, third door on the left. It is entirely prepared with clean sheets and the necessary details have been seen to. You have your own attached bathroom." He informed her gruffly, not once turning away from the bar.

"And tomorrow?"

"I shall take you clothes shopping and we shall hammer out the details of our… situation." He added that last word to the effect of it being a death sentence.

Without asking permission she stood and made her way to the door, eager to get out of the room and away from him as quickly as possible. She opened the door and stepped halfway out before turning and looking at his large back still braced over the edge of the bar, hands gripping its marble top so harshly his knuckles were white.

"Get your shit together Lucius or this is going to be a long ride for all of us." She added curtly before leaving and shutting the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

She _needed _him to touch her.

Her entire body felt heavy, her skin too tight, her nerves sizzling with every breath he took that would skate across her naked form so wantonly poised above him. His hands were pressed to the bed on either side of his hips so he leaned back and stared at her non-chalantly while she felt primed to explode. The only thing separating them was his pair of silk boxers that seemed impenetrable at this point if she did not comply with his single stipulation.

"Beg me." He commanded once more. Everything in her rebelled against the idea of becoming so… subservient; but her body screamed at her to fall to her knees and beg him like the hussy she felt like. His erection was obviously rampant and desperate for her as well but his control was better than hers, he could stave off his desires to increase hers until she was a writhing mess before him.

"Lucius…" she whispered, hoping he would drop this obscene demand.

"Beg us Hermione." She moaned when Severus muttered this against her neck. He was also clad in only a pair of underwear that he refused to remove unless she begged for it.

"Damn you both." She muttered hotly, her eyelids falling in exhaustion.

"It really is rather simple Granger," Lucius, the more talkative of the duo, explained, "all you must do is beg us for it," his massive hand shot up from where it sat and wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her forward until their noses were touching, "and you shall receive _everything_ we have to give," his breath was hot against her skin making her all that more needy, "we will fuck your dirty mudblood brains out and we shall not stop until you cannot walk tomorrow, until you're throbbing and sore through and through; until every move you make twinges and hurts so you are constantly reminded of us and what we did to you." He snarled darkly.

"Beg Hermione," Severus chimed in from behind her, his nerves clearly just as shot as the rest of theirs, "beg so I can finally fuck you as I have been aching to do for years." He whispered, his sharp incisors scraping the tender skin of her neck making her shiver and ache for him to sink them into her willing flesh and drink from her.

She felt a million shades of depraved but she also felt liberated.

"Please…" she began, "please fuck me." She moaned wantonly, immediately hating and loving herself at the same time for having given in to their demands. Her body came alive in a thousand points of light when Lucius pulled her head down and smashed his lips against hers; both their underwear dissolving immediately much to her delight. She cried out in ecstasy when she felt Lucius's hard cock touch her leg, knowing full well what was to come next.

"Now," Severus muttered darkly against her ear at Lucius continued to viciously work at her mouth with his, his tongue darting in and out, his teeth harshly nipping her lips, "you shall be mine once and for all." He growled out in conclusion just as the head of his member pressed against her feverish core.

Then Hermione awoke with a start.

Sitting upright she gasped loudly, her body was covered in an icy cold sweat that served as a harsh juxtaposition to the fire roaring inside her from her dream. She shakily wiped her face, attempting to mop the moisture from her skin when a pop sounded beside her making her jump and gasp.

"Mistress Granger?" a tiny house elf squeaked from beside the bed.

"Yes?" she responded hoarsely; still heavily swamped with drowsiness.

"Master Malfoy has sent me to retrieve you," She offered sheepishly. Hermione groaned but nodded all the same, not wanting to make it any harder for the small elf than it already was, "he told me to give you this." She held out her hands and manifested a plush white robe in their small expanse.

"Thank you." She reached out and grabbed it. She stood slowly and dropped the robe over her scantily clad form, thankful that she wouldn't be forced to be presented to him in only her knickers although she wouldn't have put it past him to demand such a thing.

"Follow me Mistress." The elf piped up and began limping towards the door.

##

"Good morning Mrs. Malfoy." Lucius greeted Hermione once she was through the massive doorway. She ground her teeth at the greeting that she knew he had orchestrated purely to get a rise out of her.

"Not quite yet Lucius." She snarled, making her way to the lavishly filled table that boasted a plethora of breakfast options. Her stomach growled in expectancy but she ignored it, hoping it would make him angry for her to be ignoring his advances.

"You need to eat." He commented, not once taking his eyes from the paper in his hands.

"I'm fine." She muttered, sitting down in the chair at the far end of the table opposite him.

"Suit yourself." He muttered seemingly through gritted teeth. It gave her a sick sort of satisfaction knowing that she could so easily make him angry.

"So what is on the agenda for today?" she asked while staring at a particularly temping plate of pancakes.

"We are going to furnish you with a new wardrobe then tonight we are all going to discuss the details of our… arrangement."

"Will Severus be accompanying us on our outing?" she asked before she could stop herself. Much to her surprise he slammed the paper down on the table, his hand clutching it tightly while his eyes bore holes into hers.

"Surely we have not made the incorrect decision in choosing you." He snarled, his eyes alight with fury.

"What?" she muttered confused beyond belief at the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"You seem to forget that Severus is now a vampire and therefore cannot be out in the sunlight lest he spontaneously combust." He growled condescendingly.

"Oh… right… I forgot." She whispered.

"See to it that you do not forget a rather important detail such as that ever again." He finished, picking the paper back up and snapping it open. She nervously tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear before conceding to his previous demand and filling her plate with a wide assortment of food.

##

"Need you accompany me?" she demanded as they stood before a very muggle Rolls Royce; even when he wasn't being his usual pompous wizarding self he never settled for less than the best, "and why are we taking a car anyway?"

"We cannot very well go to Diagon Alley where you are likely to be seen; we are going to the muggle shops and as to why I am accompanying you," he offered scathingly whilst staring at the massive metal contraption before them with enough disdain in his gaze to make her skin crawl even though she wasn't at the receiving end of the stare, "I refuse to take chances with you." He finished before walking to the door and opening it for her much to her surprise. He himself wore, 'rubbish muggle attire hardly fit for even a dog,' that consisted of a pair of black three piece Armani suit complete with an emerald green tie. She'd be lying if she said he didn't look positively stunning with his hair neatly brushed back and gently contained in a silk ribbon matching his tie. He still had his signature cane in his tight grasp but that was to be expected.

"You look nice." She offered as she slid into the plush leather interior of the car. He stood outside the car for a moment longer than normal, seeming to have frozen at her unexpected compliment. After a few seconds of awkward silence he slid into the car next to her and shut the door.

The car began to slowly move when Lucius released his cane and reached over; grabbing her wrist he roughly yanked her so she was half sprawled atop his lap.

"Lucius what the…" she began but was immediately cut off by his lips smashing against hers. Her breath caught in her lungs at the sudden onslaught of sensation tearing through her as his tongue insistently probed her mouth, his teeth occasionally nipping her swelling bottom lip. She moaned loudly when his large hand trailed from her shoulders down to grip her ass harshly, pulling her more tightly against him. Against her better judgment she began responding in turn to his harsh ministrations, her body grew hot as her mind flickered back to the dream she had the night before.

Before she could readjust herself and straddle him he pushed her away, his breathing heavy and labored. They sat there panting audibly for a few moments before she pushed herself to the other end of the car and stared out the window.

"You look nice as well." He ground out through clenched teeth making her jump in surprise.

"What?" she asked even though she'd heard him.

"You heard me." He snarled.

"Thank you…" she muttered, looking down at her large University of Maine t-shirt she had thrown on last night complete with the pair of jeans Lucius had configured for her earlier. She felt her stomach constrict at the sweet, if not completely bullshit, compliment only to have the sensations squashed immediately by him saying, "Don't get all lovey dovey on me Granger."

"Trust you to kill the mood." She muttered sullenly before turning and staring back out the window at the trees rushing by.

##

"Allow me to take your bags." The man who had driven then around for the past three hours offered, his hand outstretched towards the multitude of heavily packed bags in Hermione's arms.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled up at him sweetly as they stood outside of Agent Provocateur much to her chagrin.

"Give him your bags." Lucius demanded hotly, his eyes staring daggers into hers.

"Fine," She sighed, handing the multitude of bags over to their driver who took them happily, "You know something?" she demanded once they were relatively alone with the driver having stepped a few meters away, "I am entirely self-sustaining and I do not appreciate you making it seem like I need help with everything." She snarled viciously, sick and tired of his demanding attitude.

"Please refrain from causing a scene Granger," he muttered darkly, pulling her in close so he could whisper in her ear, "we shall discuss your conduct when we return to the manor." He finished before leading her into the seedy looking store that he insisted on visiting.

"Can't we just pick up a package of knickers from the store? Like the ones that come in groups of ten?" she begged, suddenly mortified at the thought of shopping somewhere such as this.

"Don't be ridiculous." He scoffed at her suggestion as though she'd said she'd rather eat dirt than Tuna Tartar. She pulled at his hand holding her right arm in a vice like grip as he hauled her closer and closer to the doors; her heart beating a mile a minute for reasons she wasn't quite sure of. Usually she had no qualms about purchasing questionable undergarments but this felt like an entirely different scenario; she didn't want him to know what she would be wearing under the ridiculously priced clothing he'd insisted she choose. Without hesitation he gripped the door handle and yanked it open to reveal a dark but clean interior.

"Welcome to Agent Provocateur." A willowy blonde greeted them as they walked in.

"Hello," he responded with shocking politeness, "I would like to employ your assistance," he began, yanking Hermione in close so he could wrap his arm around her waist making them look like a happy but strangely matched couple, "My fiancé needs an entirely new wardrobe, would you perchance be able to find her a few suitable garments?" her stomach constricted in unwilling desire at the smoothness in his voice; as though he was conducting a business transaction.

The woman seemed entirely too smitten with the act.

"Of course Sir." She blushed deeply.

"Have a lovely time dear, I shall return momentarily," he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, the entire façade almost had her convinced until he leaned into her ear and whispered, "if you so much as think of running rest assured I shall hunt you down and end you, understand?" icy fear flowed through her veins at the barrage of images assaulting her mind but she simply nodded.

He pulled back and smiled down at her sweetly, pressing a heavy black credit card into her hand that made her want to laugh; it was an intensely muggle thing to have and she wanted to rub it in his face.

"Spare no expense." He declared before turning around and walking out, leaving her standing there dumbfounded with his credit card burning a hole into her hand.

"What is your favorite color?" the woman asked her sweetly. Hermione thought on this one for a moment, she knew it would please Lucius to no end for her to get Emerald green or silver garments and for a moment she actually considered it.

"Red. Red and gold are my favorite colors." She declared.

"Your fiancé seems like a very generous man." The woman began as she led Hermione to a table filled with various types of lingerie.

"He isn't my fiancé." She muttered before she could stop herself, her fingers lingering on the soft silk of a pair of panties.

"Oh?" she asked, picking up a few bras.

"He's more like…" _my kidnapper? The bastard whom I've wanted to kill ever since I was eleven? The man who is partially at fault for the death of my best friend?_ "My friend." She settled on even though it irked her.

"Well your friend is very generous," The woman finished, her tone belying her disbelief at Hermione's claims, "Here, try these on." She handed her a plethora of red and gold garments Hermione hadn't even seen her pick up. She took them and walked off to the small group of dressing rooms, setting them down on a black bench once she was inside and closing the curtain behind her. Sighing deeply she took off her shirt and bra, as long as the sizes matched for the knickers she didn't desire to try those on until they had been washed.

After trying on the ten plus bras she decided that they were fine if not a bit racy. The woman had also chosen a red lacy baby doll and corset along with a matching garter belt and stockings. Sighing she picked up all the garments and opened the curtain to find Lucius chatting it up with the woman a few meters away behind a display of latex bodysuits. Hermione quickly darted over to the registers and rang up her purchases before Lucius could see the colors.

"All ready dear?" she jumped when his voice called out just behind her. Swinging around she glared up at him and grabbed her oversized bag from the counter.

"Absolutely love." She snarled back at him, stepping around him to walk to the doorway she was stopped suddenly by his hand on her arm. Twisting around, prepared to yell at him, her breath caught in her throat at the image of him falling onto bended knee and pulling a dark red ring box from his pocket. The urge to slap him was suddenly so powerful and all-consuming she had to physically stop herself from doing so.

"Hermione my love," he began in such a sincere, loving tone it made her want to gag, "will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?" she opened the box to reveal an oversized cushion cut emerald engagement ring. Her hand began to tingle, further exacerbating her urge to hit him; how dare he make a scene in the middle of a lingerie store, how dare he _propose_ to her as though their situation were nothing out of the ordinary… how dare he make himself look romantic when in reality he was nothing more than a murderer with collateral against her.

"Yes." She muttered against the tightness in her throat. Offering her hand to him he slipped the heavy ring on easily and stood, gathering her into his arms and kissing her deeply. Before she could stop herself her teeth gripped his bottom lip harshly and bit down until she tasted blood. He groaned against her lips and pulled her closer, his blood flowing freely into her mouth.

After a few moments of kissing while the onlookers sighed happily they pulled apart, both panting heavily; his lips tinged red with blood and her mouth sour tasting.

"You will pay for that." She snarled.

"Enjoy this while it lasts Hermione," he muttered against her ear so no one else could hear them, "things are going to get very real very fast."

**A little bit of a lighter chapter but don't get too comfy, it isn't going to stay fluffy **

**XOXO- Gabby**


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione nervously bit her lip, her eyes glued to her stunning emerald ring that felt entirely too heavy on her finger while she sat with Lucius in his study; both of them awaiting full dark when Severus would awaken. Her thumb reached under her other fingers to twist the white gold band laden with diamonds, liking how the facets sparkled in the light of the fire.

Lucius sat in the solitary leather chair he'd pinned her to the night before while she sat with her legs curled up on the sofa; her heart beating rapidly with nervousness.

"Calm yourself." Lucius drawled slowly as though he had a window into her mind.

"Shut up Lucius…" she began loudly when Severus opened door and stepped into the heated room. Before she could stop herself Hermione was on her feet rushing over to him, throwing herself into his arms. His arms constricted around her ribs tightly, holding her closely while he buried his face in her neck; inhaling deeply.

"Severus…" she whispered, tears pricking the edges of her eyes.

"Are you alright Hermione?" he asked, surprised at her outburst of affection.

"I'm fine." She muttered, pushing herself out of his arms and wiping her eyes.

"Care to get this over with?" Lucius piped up scathingly from the chair where he still sat unmoving. Hermione wanted to reach around and smack his head but refrained; life was hard enough as it was without adding a pissy Lucius into the mix.

Severus made his way to the sofa while Hermione went to pour herself two fingers of firewhiskey before joining him on the large leather couch, her free hand immediately grabbing his and holding it tightly. Lucius's venomous gaze was not lost on her.

"So what details must we discuss?" She began after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Tomorrow we are to meet with the Dark Lord and his… hoard," Lucius explained, "we need to discuss what you are going to say. You need to have seemingly valuable preliminary information to prove your value to him… from there it's a game; you cannot give too much information but you must prove your loyalty to him which will require a fair amount of acting on your part." She took a deep swig of the amber liquor while digesting this.

"So what do you know about necromancy?" Severus asked.

"Not a whole lot but more than they do I'm sure," she responded, "But I do know this; necromancy is wrong. No one should be able to bring the dead back to life. It defies the laws of nature… why do you think this magic was hidden for so long and so well? He, along with many other wizards who have tried before, was unable to uncover it for years. It's a slap in the face of Mother Nature and that is the last thing you should ever do."

"We know this… why do you think we sought you out? It was not simply because he ordered us to do so; this is dangerous… he, as you well know, is not just raising the dead. He wants to resurrect his followers and turn them into vampires… if he succeeds the entire wizarding and human world is in danger." Severus chimed in.

"So it is essential that you play your part convincingly." Lucius added.

"You need not worry about me being convincing; we need to worry about this 'edge' we think we have." As much as it irked her to think about marry Lucius she could not deny how convincing it would look to them; there was nothing more loyal than marrying Voldemort's right hand man.

"Tomorrow we are to meet with him; you are to tell him a very basic outline of your knowledge without giving him any essential details which he might utilize and regain power with. Then we are going to announce our plans to marry and a week from then it shall be done." Lucius told her point blank as though she had no say in the matter which, in reality, she didn't.

"What are you not telling me? At this point I know your bargaining skills well enough to know that you are leaving something out." She asked scathingly, not liking the darting Severus's eyes were doing.

"As you are aware we need this to look as convincing as possible," Lucius began cautiously, "therefore we have decided it to be prudent if… at our wedding… you take the dark mark."

The only moment that she had been more dumbfounded than she was now was when Severus walked into her bedroom after having been 'dead' for years. There were no words to describe how she was feeling, no emotions befitting of the pure terror and anger constricting around her heart; her breath left her lungs in a sharp gasp.

"Are you serious?" was all she could come up with once the breath returned to her now burning lungs. The image of her already scarred forearm being further marred with the dark mark made her physically sick to the stomach. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two wizards who stared at her with nothing but seriousness in their dark gazes; she hoped against all logical hope that they were joking but deep down inside she knew they were serious and it made her shake with fury, "I refuse…" she whispered darkly, her anger bitter on her tongue as she clenched her fists until her nails dug bloody incisions into her palm.

"Hermione think logically…" Severus began but was promptly interrupted when Hermione stood and rushed over to Lucius, her arm arching back and swinging forward; her hand connecting with his left cheek much like it did the previous night.

"You sick bastard! I shall never bear that disgusting mark on my skin!" she screamed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Lucius sat there dazedly for just a moment before launching himself out of the chair to tower over Hermione who didn't move an inch from where she stood staring up at him. Severus stood from his seat as well and ran to the pair who were staring daggers at each other. Before he could reach them Lucius delivered a vicious, head snapping smack to her cheek that made her cry out and fall to the floor from the intensity of the blow. Severus grabbed him by the lapels of his robes and jerked him violently, his fangs on full display as he snarled in the other wizard's face.

"She and I have had this conversation before Severus," Lucius began evenly, "she was well aware that she should not strike unless prepared to be struck back." he finished as though it excused everything.

"Do not ever lay a hand on her again." Severus snarled, releasing the blonde wizard who simply readjusted his cloaks and stood back. Hermione coughed, her nose and mouth were bleeding profusely as she spat into her hand revealing the top of a molar that had broken off. Her tears had stopped and had been replaced with ice cold anger. Slowly she stood with the help of Severus who was finding it harder and harder to control himself at the sight of her blood. She easily sauntered over to where Lucius stood staring down at her with the same amount of frostiness in his gaze.

"I shall marry you Lucius, I shall share your bed and deceive your 'friends'," she began evenly, darkly, "but I shall never forgive nor forget what you have done to me…"

"Is that a threat Granger?" he snarled.

"Yes Lucius, it's a threat," she spat, turning around she walked to the open doorway. She stopped halfway through the door and turned back to glare at him, "Once he is dead all bets are off Malfoy." She spat and walked out the door leaving both the wizards reeling at the sheer coldness she displayed.

##

Hermione sighed and slumped against her bedroom door once she was safely inside. Her blood coated hands ran through her hair shakily, warding off the cold that was spreading through her body. In reality she knew it was wrong to engage anyone with physical violence but she couldn't shake the anger that was gripping her.

Standing on wobbly feet she made her way over to ornate gilded full length mirror that looked vaguely familiar to her. She sighed when she saw the drops of blood on the white silk of her brand new dress; her face was beginning to swell from the buildup of blood, her lip was split but her nose was unbroken thankfully.

"What am I doing here?" she asked herself woefully. Walking over to the large adjoining bathroom she turned the faucet on full blast and let the water heat up before dragging a soft black washcloth underneath its flow. Walking back to the mirror she mopped up the drying blood from her skin until it was entirely clean.

"What am I doing here?" she repeated, this time truly asking herself. Her eyes wandered the edges of the mirror trying to figure out where she'd seen it before but before she could place it her eyes landed back on her reflection and what she saw made her jump.

"Erised…" she muttered. In the image she was standing with Harry and Ron, they were all laughing and smiling like they used to. Tears began pricking her eyes as the image shifted to Severus kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly to him. She began sobbing lightly as she watched her and Severus embrace more tightly, her heart aching for that to be real. Then the image shifted and her crying ceased to be replaced with shock. Her image stood staring at her point blank, her belly full and round with child; then Lucius walked up behind her, his large hand holding her belly gently, his thumb rubbing it softly as she closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder. Hermione angrily turned when Lucius kissed her temple in the image.

"You are wrong." She snarled to the mirror even though she knew it was preposterous to be talking to it.

"Hermione?" A voice called out from beyond her door.

"Come in." she said even though she was fairly certain her privacy would have been completely disregarded.

The door opened slowly to reveal Lucius standing in the doorway, hesitant to enter.

"What do you want?" she snarled, undoing her hair from its elaborate up-do to fall in messy waved around her face. Ignoring his statue like stance she walked over to the massive closet and turned the light on, taking inventory of her sleeping attire she chose a basic red baby-doll and shrugged her slinky silk dress off.

"I want to fix your tooth." He offered, stepping into the room just as she exited the closet clad in nothing but the all too revealing silk lingerie that made him harden and ache. He'd never admit it but he felt bad about hitting her; he knew it wasn't right but at the time he wasn't sure he would have been able to stop himself.

"Forget it." She snapped, unwilling to let him near her with a wand lest he turn her into a toad or worse.

"Granger…" he growled.

"What are you gonna do Malfoy?" she snarled, walking up to him slowly until they were nearly touching, her head angled upwards so she could look him in the eye, "hit me again?"

"No. Never again." He promised.

"Fucking liar; I'm sure you decked Narcissa more than a few times," she instigated, unable to stop herself, "she didn't let you fuck her so you probably hit her until she blacked out then had your way with her unconscious body… it would be just like you." His face went stonier, colder with every word she uttered.

"If it weren't for the safety of the wizarding world I would have killed you by now." She whispered lowly.

"You don't think very highly of me." He muttered.

"Why should I? You've killed so many people, you were Voldemort's right hand man through the war… the way things are now is partially your fault. Why should I think highly of a man like you Lucius?" she asked, tears pricking the backs of her eyes at the images of the many fallen children he had taken part in bringing to their untimely deaths.

"I admit fault; I understand what I did was wrong and sick. I have paid for my sins and now I am trying to right my wrongs."

"Have you Lucius? Have you really paid for them?" she asked, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"My wife is dead and my son is a mindless crony with no future… my future is dismal without you," he began in such a way it almost made her ache, almost, "despite what you may think of me I loved Narcissa and I had had high hopes for our future; I loved my son and wanted nothing but the best for him. I might not be the best at showing my love but it is there… I was the only death eater capable of compassion and emotion. You are the last sliver of brightness in my life," he explained, reaching up and placing his hand on the junction between her neck and shoulder, his thumb stroking her neck, "I am sorry for striking you. You can rest assured it will never happen again. Please allow me to fix your tooth Hermione."

"Why should I trust you?" she asked, wanting so badly to believe him, to make sense of the whole fucked up situation she found herself in… to find a glimmer of happiness.

"Because we need to trust each other if this is ever going to work… because you are going to be my wife and I want your trust," he all but begged and despite her better judgment she believed him, "please…"

"Fine." She whispered. Released her neck he reached into his robes and pulled forth his wand. Hermione hesitantly opened her mouth and placed the top of the broken molar back in its place. Lucius pointed his wand towards her mouth and muttered a simple mending spell that sent shockwaves of pain through her nerves making her hiss. Mending bones in any way was an incredibly painful process but she had the advantage; it was a tooth and not encased in muscle.

"Sorry." He muttered in response to her pain.

"Thank you," She said when he placed his wand back into his robes, "So how is tomorrow going to work?" she asked when the silence became deafening.

"We are meeting in the Forbidden Forest with him and everyone else." Her heart rate kicked up a few notches at the prospect of seeing him and his cronies again.

"Okay…" she muttered.

"I'll be there the whole time," This made her laugh out loud, "what?" he asked, genuinely puzzled at her sudden shift in emotion.

"It's just funny… you saying that. Five years ago I would have been horrified at the prospect of being in the Forbidden Forest with death eaters and Voldemort exclusively but now… the thought of you being there comforts me which is completely mental," She laughed maniacally, this entire situation finally getting to her; it all felt like a sick, surreal nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. Forty eight hours ago she was a simple librarian in a Maine town with a population of just over 1,000 and now she'd been roped into yet another possibly cataclysmic battle with Voldemort except this time she played a much bigger role than just the helper; she was the catalyst in the whole deal and that unnerved her, "so forgive me for being scared and lashing out… I fought this battle once before with the hopes that I would never have to again; this is not easy for me."

"I realize that," He whispered, fully digesting what she was saying, "this isn't easy for either of us Hermione. I had hoped that once that battle was finished we wouldn't engage ever again but I could not ignore this."

"I know I just… I need to sleep." She sighed, her energy for the situation having been completely depleted.

"Then sleep." He offered gently, leaning in to place a soft kiss to her forehead that made comforting warmth spread throughout her entire body right down to her fingertips. He turned and started to walk towards the door when she reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Stay with me…" she found herself begging before she could think better of it, "I need to just not feel so painfully responsible for everything for once." She whispered feeling like a complete nut job for begging the man who had not even an hour ago smacked her in the face to sleep with her. But the request had bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of her and burst from her mouth like she had less control of her own functions than a first year so who was she to question it?

"Okay." He agreed, releasing the doorknob he had been holding lightly. They both turned towards the bed and walked to it, Hermione immediately slipping into the covers while Lucius removed his many layers of clothing until he was clad in nothing but a black button down shirt and a pair of emerald green silk boxers. Hermione blushed as he slowly began to undo the buttons with much more deliberate, concise actions than he had discarded his other clothes with. He finally finished with the last button and dropped the shirt to the floor leaving him in only his boxer shorts. Hermione sucked in a quite breath at the sight of his bare chest; thankful he had regained his healthy weight since the last time she had seen him on the bluffs in Maine. With a swish of his wand the lights all extinguished in unison throwing the room into stifling blackness just before he slipped into bed beside her. Reaching over he wrapped his muscled arm around her waist and yanked her over so he was cradling her from behind; his unmistakable erection pressing into her lower back making her heart rate pick up speed.

"Calm down; that is not what tonight is about," he whispered against her hair, "When I take you it will be much more… deliberate. It shall not be a hasty decision made in a time of emotional turmoil; you will want it," He promised darkly making her shiver, "tonight just sleep in my arms knowing you are safe and sound."

And she did.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione awoke with a gasp, her body covered with a light sheen of sweat. The dream hadn't been bad per se; her rude awakening came from more shock than anything when Lucius's hand lightly grazed her waist and pulled her in close to his semi-sleeping form, her backside cradled against his unmistakable and quite frankly rampant erection.

"Lucius…" she whispered, hoping he would relinquish his hold on her and allow her to move back to her side of the bed, "Lucius let me go." She insisted quietly whilst prodding at his fingers gently. Glancing up at the window she gathered that it was still relatively late seeing as there was not a smidgeon of sunlight. She jumped slightly when her eyes were momentarily blinded by a flash of white lightening followed by a roar of nearby thunder. She hadn't even realized it was storming outside but now she could hear the pounding rain hitting the glass of the window. When she jumped again at another flash of light Lucius took the opportunity to pull her in even closer, his face pressed against the back of her head while he angled his hips inward and pressed his aching cock against her backside, his lips opening to release a low groan.

"Lucius stop." She whispered, shoving more fervently at his hands that were now almost bruising with the intensity with which he was holding her.

"Mmm," He groaned loudly, his grip loosening only so he could splay his fingers against her stomach and stroke her gently. As angry as she was with the entire situation and as dismal as she felt, Hermione couldn't deny how nice it felt to be held by someone even if she had previously considered him to be the second most evil man in all of creation, "I don't think I shall." He whispered, his face moving from the back of her head to the side where he took her ear between his teeth and gently nibble on her lobe making her moan and shiver at the unexpected sensations traipsing up and down her spine.

"Don't do this…" she begged even though she didn't mean it. His hand fisted in the silk of her nightgown against her stomach, his teeth bit down just a little more harshly on her earlobe before releasing it and slowly placing hot kisses on the tender skin just beneath it. Hermione moaned loudly as his mouth made a languid, heated trail down her neck to the juncture where her shoulder began, his teeth nipping the area sharply. His free hand slowly ran up her back and dove into her hair, his fingers clenching the long strands between them until he had created a fist.

"How dare you make me want you so badly." He snarled against her ear, his fist closing more tightly in her hair just before he pulled her head back so it was resting on his shoulder. Her breathing became labored and heavy when his hand that had been resting on her stomach slowly made its way up to grip her breast gently; his fingers plucking at her hardening nipple with a tenderness that made her shiver.

"Lucius…" she sighed against the violent sensations racking her nerves. Reaching behind her backside she gripped him tightly and was rewarded with his heady moan vibrating against the sensitive skin of her neck, "this is wrong."

"Is it?" he asked, his fingers tweaking her hardened nub with a slight modicum of harshness, "because when we are wed this shall be a common occurrence between the two of us." He promised almost darkly.

"You don't love me…" she reasoned away despite the desire rolling through her telling her it wasn't about love; that it was only about what she was currently stroking with the hand that wasn't pinned beneath her side.

"That may be so but we both have a part to play," it stung slightly to hear him admit his non-chalance towards her, "this is going to be a war; this is not about love or even desire… those are just the roles we have to fill."

"_You _are making it about desire." She hissed angrily. She gasped in surprise when he released her breast and grabbed her shoulder, flipping her onto her back and climbing atop her in one swift move that had her reeling. His body was pressed against hers lightly, his hair creating a silvery curtain around them while his erection pressed rampantly against her belly. She made to shove him away but was stopped by his hands taking hold of her wrists one by one and pinning them above her head, effectively rendering her immobile. She huffed in a manner not unlike one would see in a two year old; her nerves still aflame while her body churned with anger.

"Just because I cater to the idea of fucking your mudblood brains out until you are entirely unable to walk the next day doesn't mean my eyes have strayed from the prize," he snarled harshly, his breath still laced with the thick scent of firewhiskey and cigars, "you would do well not to muddy your mind with half-witted prospects such as love and devotion. This is war Granger; this is going to be violent, bloody and dangerous. People are going to get hurt and many will die so it would be in your best interests to entertain the idea of fucking me but not of loving me. Understood?"

"You've gone completely mental if you think that my mind is on anything else," she whispered silkily, "just because I cater to the idea of fucking your elitist pureblood brains out doesn't mean my eyes have strayed from the prize either. I know this is a war, I know how bloody this is going to get. I also know just how willing I am to spill the blood of those you once called your allies… even if it means you in the end." This took him for surprise; to hear her utter the words they both knew she was thinking. This vastly changed the playing field between them, they both knew there was no chance of love or even admiration between them, that this arrangement was purely for the benefit of the rest of the world… but to hear her tell him that she entertained the possibility of killing him in the end made things different. A vicious retort was teetering at the edge of his lips when a small popping sound made him stop. The sound had come from somewhere within the manor, not even remotely near where they were, but it made him pause non-the-less. Not just anyone could apparate into his home so that knowledge left only a few possibilities; all of them less than savory. Without ceremony he launched himself off of her, keeping a hold of her wrist and hauling her to a standing position beside the bed. He marched her over to his side of the bed and grabbed his wand, ignoring her persistent questioning of his actions. He silently but rapidly pointed it at her and configured a gritty outfit consisting of a pair of ripped muggle jeans, a dirty t-shirt, a pair of worn sneakers and torn jacket. He then pointed the wand towards his own person and configured his usual death eater robes complete with his silver mask. Shoving the wand into his pocket he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her in an attempt to silence her nagging.

"Someone is here, we need to make it look like we just arrived and that you fought." He commanded darkly, pleased when realization dawned in her eyes. They began to hear the footsteps of their uninvited guest when Lucius grabbed her arm and held her in place as he drew his hand back and swung it forward, the back of his hand connected brutally with her cheek making her stifle a scream, her head snapping to the side. Before she could correct her posture and fight him off he landed another blow directly to her cheekbone, this time with his closed fist. Hermione couldn't stifle the cry that left her lips from this one; pain exploded beneath her skin as he landed another strike, this one splitting her lip. He released her arm and stepped back, allowing her to lunge forward despite the pounding in her skull and grip him by his hair. She yanked his head forward and slammed it against the bed post nearest him, sickly satisfied when he growled in pain, his hands reaching out and grabbing her by the arms just as the door flew open and they were greeted by none other than the dark lord himself.

Hermione's breath stopped in her throat at the sight of the man she'd tried so hard to extinguish from her mind. He really looked no different than when she'd left him; his skin was still sickly pale, his eyes still vicious and accusatory and his teeth still rotted and stinking...

"Lucius…" he hissed in his signature fashion that still didn't fail to make her shiver, "you never fail to please." He smiled widely as Lucius released her arms and grabbed her by the hair, leading her forward to stand directly before him. Hermione was breathing heavily, her face felt like it was on fire and her vision was being quickly obstructed by the swelling taking place around her eye; it all seemed to please Voldemort to no end.

"It took us quite some time to find you Mudblood," He snarled, "Where was she?" he directed the question to Lucius but never took his eyes off of hers.

"America, some little town on their East Coast." He answered.

"I see that she was no easy catch." He remarked amusedly, his eyes flicking up to the gash at Lucius's hairline that had blood running from it down to his chin.

"We had only just arrived; this was very recent." He countered, his free hand moving up to finger the cut.

"I see…" he hissed, his eyes returning to her, "Did you truly believe that you could evade us forever?" he asked, his eyes taking inventory of her darkening wounds that seemed to only further enflame his ego despite the fact that he hadn't delivered any one of them to her.

"I was willing to try." She whispered.

"And now you see what your transgressions have wrought you; there is no getting away from us anymore Mudblood." He muttered, his god complex was showing.

"Why not just kill me now?" she demanded hotly, irritated at the tone he had taken.

"Because I need something from you," he retorted instantly, his tone shifting to one of anger as though he hated to think that she could be worth more than the dirt he walked on every day, "and you are going to give me what I want." He added.

"Why would I do that?" she countered, her eye now completely swollen shut, "you're just going to kill me once you have what you need." This seemed to further infuriate him but he held his anger at bay if only slightly.

"Perhaps we could work out an arrangement," he offered after a few moments thought, "perhaps there is some way that we could pledge and allegiance to each other even if you are a good for nothing Mudblood whore." Hermione fought the insistent urge to snap at his comment; instead she focused on the weight of the ring on her finger that would act as her insurance in the whole deal.

"What could you do for me to prove you would be loyal?" he asked. Hermione hesitated for a second, unsure if it would seem as though she was overstepping her bounds by announcing her agreement to marry Lucius but fortunately he took control of the situation for her.

"She will marry me." Lucius announced making Voldemort's eyes dart up to his in nothing short of pure shock. Hermione felt the ring disappear from her finger a moment before Lucius reached down with his free hand and grabbed her arm. He lifted it so her hand hovered a few inches from the dark lord's face, the ring reappearing so it seemed as though she'd only just acquired it.

"Your loyalty will only be proven if you so also agree." Voldemort muttered after a few moments digestion.

"If it will ensure my life then I agree," She responded after waiting a few seconds of her own, "but this is a two way street; what are you willing to give me to finish the bargain?"

"Given that you know what I need to know and you deliver me the required information in a proper amount of time…" he began, thinking over his cards carefully lest he play the wrong one, "and also given that you marry Lucius and prove to be an honest wife," he peered at her knowingly for just a moment, "therefore undoubtedly pledging an allegiance to me… then I shall give you this." He conjured a long necklace between his fingers; a jagged red crystal dangling from its end.

"A trinket?" she asked disbelievingly although she was certain there were other things afoot than him gifting her a simple necklace. Without thinking she reached forward and touched the ruby red gem that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. Her head immediately exploded in white hot shards of pain; her body felt like it was being ripped in two so much so it made her bow back against Lucius, her lips agape in agony as a piercing scream fell from them to fill the otherwise quiet room.

Her hands clenched into fists so tightly her fingernails dug bloody cuts into her palm but their pain in no way matched the one still wracking her body.

Until it ceased altogether; its end was almost as painful as its endurance as it stopped so suddenly and viciously it left her reeling. Her was body inching towards a full blown shut down when she felt the necklace being lifted over her head and dropped down to land on her collarbone.

"What have you done?" she asked breathlessly, her fingers shaking uncontrollably as she touched the gem once more to no effect.

"Now you are essentially immortal." She heard him declare from what felt like miles away.

"What?" she asked, her mind slow to connect the horrify dots that soon came to fruition, "is this?" she muttered in pure dread.

"Yes Mudblood," she could see his sinister smile through the thick haze of her pain, "that is a Horcrux." 


	9. Chapter 9

For the second time of the day Hermione awoke with a gasp, her hand immediately reaching up and grasping the jagged crystal that rested between her breasts.

She felt… different; almost as though she was no longer herself.

"Granger," A deep voice called from beside the bed making her jump in surprise. she turned her head to see Lucius sitting in the chair directly to her left; he was wearing his usual black robes but he looked clean as though he had taken the time she was sleeping to take a shower and ready himself for the rest of the day, "so that didn't go quite as I had planned…" he continued, successfully igniting her anger.

"No shit Malfoy!" she screamed, launching herself from her resting position to sit on the side of the bed. Her stomach quickly turned at the suddenness of her actions, bile quickly began rising towards her mouth making her heave and jump up from the bed to run to the bathroom where she promptly yanked the toilet cover open and emptied the contents of her stomach. Her entire body felt like it had been run over repeatedly with a car; her head was pounding, her stomach was churning and her muscles felt like they had been doused with gasoline and touched with a lit match. Much to her surprise she felt her hair being gathered from around her face towards the back of her neck. Once the urge to vomit had passed she turned her head to look at Lucius who was seated directly beside her, his hand holding all her hair back.

"Thanks." She muttered, reaching out and yanking a few sheets of toilet paper from the roll to wipe her mouth.

"Don't mention it." He responded once he had released her hair and watched her lean against the cabinets beneath the twin sinks. She looked like hell but that was to be expected.

"Please tell me what happened… it's all still foggy." She prompted after they had spent a good thirty seconds just staring at each other. He slowly moved from his perch on the edge of the claw footed tub to kneel in front of her, his hand reaching forward to grasp the blood red crystal between his fingers; the faint sound of scratching that came from the gem set his nerves on edge but he held his irritation back.

"He gave you the best possible insurance," he muttered, his eyes studying hers, "he gave you a Horcrux. He removed a piece of your soul and placed it here," he tapped the crystal with his thumb, "so you are essentially immortal if no one tampers with this… not even he could kill you."

"I know what a Horcrux is… why did he do this to me?" she demanded, hoping the scathing nature of her words covered up the fact that she was absolutely terrified.

"He needs you and he knew there was no way he could get you to cooperate with him if he didn't offer you a means of indemnity."

"Was there no other way?"

"If you think about it this was probably the best thing." She clenched her fists as she glanced down at the gem and heard the same scratching sound she had been plagued with listening to the entire time she, Harry and Ron had been hunting these very things.

"I need to keep this safe," She whispered as much as it pained her to be doing the same thing he had done; to be thinking along the same lines he had even though they were logical and best insured her wellbeing, "I need to hide it." She prompted whilst reaching up behind where she sat and grabbing a hold of the marble countertop so she could lift herself up with no help from him.

"Hermione stop," Lucius implored, his arm reaching forward so he could grab her by the arm as she fervently made her way on unsteady feet towards the bathroom door, "let us eat and talk before we do anything hasty."

"There is no 'we' in this matter, _I _am going to go hide this thing." She persisted, reaching around to lift it off her neck and gather it in her palm.

"Must you be so damned stubborn?" he demanded once she pulled against his arm, his temper snapping, "you can hardly walk! Listen to me just once Hermione; let me help you down stairs so we can eat then you can go off and hide it wherever you please." As much as it burned her to be commanded by someone and to accept help from someone she couldn't deny the nagging hunger that ravaged her stomach as a result of too much excitement and her throwing up. Sighing she placed the necklace back around her neck and took hold of his arm instead of fighting against it.

They took a few unsteady steps forward, just enough to leave the bathroom and make their way halfway to the door when her legs gave out. She cursed the Jell-O like feeling that was her entire being. Before she could right herself Lucius pried her fingers from his forearm and wrapped it around her shoulders a mere second before stepping behind her and swinging his arms up and under her legs successfully lifting her from the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded once she was firmly ensconced in his embrace, "I'm not a child! Put me down!" she knew she was acting petulant but her own insecurities regarding her current state were being further exacerbated by his actions.

"Did I say you were a child?" was all he said as he walked them out the door and down the hallway to descend the stairs. Despite her griping and honest to god detesting she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of his arms holding her close, his scent wrapping around her; firewhiskey, cigars and some sort of mint. As he took the long staircase carefully so as not to jostle her too much she took the opportunity, as it was surely going to be a rare one, to rest her head against his shoulder and inconspicuously inhale his scent which was rapidly growing on her. To be perfectly honest the sweetness of his actions were not lost on her; it just took a lot for her to let someone in.

"That ring looks nice on you." He commented offhandedly as they reached the bottom of the staircase and made their way to the vast dining hall.

"I'm going to need to get you one I suppose." She retorted whilst peering down at her ring clad finger that rested against her stomach.

"You two look like hell." They both jumped slightly at the voice coming from the darkened room to their left. Severus stood in the doorway staring at both of them, his eyes cold and calculating.

"Hello Severus." Lucius greeted the man coldly, his arms tightening around Hermione until it became uncomfortable.

"I take it the meeting went well?" Severus asked as his eyes took inventory of Lucius's gash, Hermione's still swollen eye and fat lip. Truth be told she had completely forgotten about the 'fight' they had gotten into last night; her soul being split apart took precedence to a few bumps and bruises.

"As well as it could have," She responded for them. Severus made to step out of the nearly pitch black room but stopped himself, the rest of the house was too lit up for it to be safe, "please walk us over there." Hermione asked Lucius who growled but complied none-the-less; stepping towards the gruff looking man until they were all nearly touching. Severus gently raised his hand to touch the swelling around her eye; he looked slightly uncomfortable with the sight she presented.

"Come inside, let me help you." Severus offered, stepping to the side so they could enter the eerily cave like room. They stood stock still for a good two minutes as Severus presumably gathered a few ingredients for a potion as was evident by the clinking of glass from various sides of the room.

"So what happened?" he asked whilst still darting around the room.

"Voldemort and I made a bargain." Hermione offered.

"And how do you feel about it?" she should have guessed he already knew.

"Honestly, terrified."

"Well you should be," He announced, setting the bottles on a table directly before them so he could begin concocting an anti-inflammatory brew for her, "you know as well as I do that is one of the darkest things a wizard can partake in. It is not something to be taken lightly so I implore you to handle it with the utmost severity." She took slight offense to his uppity tone but shrugged it off; he was upset and clearly did not know how to express it.

"I plan to." she countered after a few moments.

"Hold still." He told her suddenly standing a few inches from them. Hermione jumped slightly when his liquid coated fingers touched her cheekbone gently; immediately the pressure she didn't even realize was there suddenly began decreasing until it had vanished completely. He moved his fingers to her bottom lip and they reacted in much the same fashion until she felt relatively normal.

"Thank you Severus." She smiled at him in the dark and reached forward; wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close much to his and Lucius' discomfort.

"We should be going." Lucius declared venomously after a few seconds of awkward hugging had ensued. Reluctantly Hermione unwound her arms from around him and leaned back against Lucius who quickly made his way towards the door.

"Must you be so rude?" she demanded once they had left the room and the door had been shut.

"You are to be my wife and whenever you see him you get all sappy and lovesick." He retorted, in no way was he trying to hide the anger in his voice.

"You yourself said this was not about love," she snarled as he deposited her into a painfully uncomfortable chair, "so what is it to you who I choose to care about?" She could tell she was wearing on his nerves but found herself unable to stop; truth be told he wore on her nerves every single time they spoke so was it so wrong for her to give him a dose of his own medicine? Without responding he took the chair directly to her right and began filling his plate with a few of the options laid out before them.

"It matters to me because your feelings could jeopardize this entire plan; if we marry and you act so obviously in love with Severus they will all know this is a façade and then where will we be?" he stated calmly and evenly but she could tell his fury was just barely contained beneath those words, "Enough talk of this; I have something to show you." He announced somewhat happily as she began spooning a healthy amount of scrambled eggs onto her gaudy gold rimmed plate.

"If it isn't something good forget it; I've had enough negativity to last me the rest of my life," she whispered whilst grabbing a handful of bacon. She had to physically force herself not to smile at the look on his face as though it positively horrified him that she was using her fingers in lieu of the fork provided, "and I guess we should discuss this whole wedding thing…" she sighed, stabbing a fluffy egg and popping it into her mouth.

"We shall but first…" he shocked her by smiling widely just a moment before snapping his fingers. To his immediate right a tiny house elf appeared holding what looked like an old potato sack that was larger than she. Lucius whispered thanks to her before grabbing the sack and dismissing her. Hermione was slightly hesitant to see what the bag contained but held her fear back; she was being overly cautious and it drove her nuts. Lucius shoved a few of the platters aside and set the sack on the table, motioning for her to open it.

"If there's a snake in here I swear to god…" she laughed as her fingers began working at the knot keeping it closed.

When the top fell open she couldn't contain her gasp of amazement.

It was filled with books.

"Lucius…" she whispered as she inventoried the selection. Everything from beginner's potions to the darkest of dark arts was here albeit they were all in fairly rough condition, "how did you…"

"When Voldemort put his book destroying plan into action I saved the most important ones I could find in the short amount of time that I had. It is in no way as extensive as our previous library, most of them will probably be of no use to you, but it's something." She could barely contain her excitement at a few of the ones she had read while attending Hogwarts; they brought back happy, if not painful, memories.

"This is incredible…" she whispered as he stood from the table and went to fix himself a drink despite it being frowned upon to drink this early in the day. His breath stopped in his lungs as he felt her small arms wrapping around his waist, her face pressing into the bottom of his shoulder, "thank you so much." She whispered against his back. Setting his tumbler down he held onto her arms so she wouldn't let go and turned around so her face rested against the bottom of his pectoral muscle. Leaning down he pressed a gently kiss to the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Hermione lifted her head and smiled up at him genuinely for the first time since they'd been together; she was astounded and completely overjoyed with what he had done even though he probably hadn't had her in mind when he'd done it. Without thinking about it she rose up on the tips of her toes and gently pressed her lips against his.

Lucius froze; completely unsure of what to do beyond this point. So he decided to go with his gut instinct and kiss her back.

Which, in hindsight, was probably not the best thing to do seeing as how the little moan she emitted when his tongue gently touched the seam of her lips made the already rampant fire blazing through him arch up in his stomach and fuel his feverish clutching of her; his hands moved to grab her ass and lift her into him, sickly pleased when her legs wrapped around his hips. His mouth still roughly working against hers he walked her over to the empty end of the table and deposited her onto its surface. Hermione let out another small moan when he ground his pelvis against hers; his control snapping further when she took his bottom lip between hers and bit down gently.

"Lucius…" she moaned thickly when he moved his mouth from hers to place hot, wet kisses against the sensitive skin of her neck, nipping occasionally as he made his way down to her collarbone, "Lucius wait…" she whispered, her hands gently cupping the sides of his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking up he searched her eyes for any indication she didn't want the same things as him.

"Not here, not now." She implored.

"You're right…" he whispered, quickly shoving himself away from where she sat, "we must wait until our wedding night." He might be a cold hearted murderous bastard but he wasn't that far gone. Turning around he sauntered back over to the bar to resume creating his concoction.

"We are sick you know that?" she laughed.

"And how's that?" he asked, shoving the crystal stopper back into its rightful place.

"We going from wanting to murder each other to physically beating the tar out of each other to wanting to fuck one another… it's not healthy." She laughed as she shoved herself off the table top and went to sit in her chair.

"Since when has any aspect of either of our lives ever been normal or healthy?" he questioned as she flipped through one of the books and took an oversized bite out of a melon wedge, "I'm not sure about you and your childhood but mine was filled with strife and less than savory occurrences; this is relatively run of the mill for me."

"I had a normal very muggle childhood thank you very much." She retorted.

"We need to discuss the wedding." He declared whilst sitting down in his respective chair, suddenly desperate to change the topic lest he relive too many a bad memory.

"When will it be?"

"A few days."

"I figured as much," Even though she had hoped for more time she hadn't been so naïve to think that Voldemort would allow them any time to plan, "I plan to wear a muggle wedding gown by the way."

"Why is that?" he demanded, slightly irritated with her haughty tone.

"I want to and since he gave me this," he fingers played with the crystal around her neck, "I figured he wouldn't be in much of a position to have any say."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Hermione," Lucius warned her, "just because you have that now doesn't make him any less of a threat to you."

"I'm aware. It's just a thing I want." She figured it was high time she get something positive out of this shitty situation and seeing as how things were going to get very real very fast why not enjoy the little things while she had them?

"Then you best go get fit for one I suppose." He conceded after a few moments thought, having decided it was best not to argue with her.

"Is it to be held here?" she asked, speaking of the actual ceremony.

"Naturally. Allow me to take care of a few things then I can escort you to wherever you would like to go to look at some gowns." He offered a moment before removing his napkin from his lap and standing.

"You aren't supposed to see me in the gown before our wedding day." She informed him.

"I think we are a little bit past those values are we not?" he smiled down at her and turned around, making his way towards the door, "Do take care to hide that necklace."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you pleased with your purchase?" Lucius asked her as he stood at the bar refilling his crystal tumbler with firewhiskey. Hermione sat on the leather sofa fiddling with the ring on her finger while staring at the wedding dress that hung from the back of the door. She couldn't deny that it was stunning; arctic white lace began at the collarbone and trailed down to the floor with a solid sheet of white silk beneath it starting at the top of her chest, the train was five feet long.

"It is very pretty." She whispered, taking a sip of her own beverage that burned its way down her throat.

"It is your wedding after all." He commented as he took his seat beside her.

"It hardly feels like it." She whispered forlornly, her eyes darting down to the crystal that still hung around her neck as a reminder of just how imprisoned she actually was.

"You can stop the pity party now Granger," Lucius muttered scathingly, "I know you don't want to be here. Do you actually think I do? Never mind the physical attraction," he turned his head to give her a heated once over that worked to further infuriate her, "do you think I want to be married again? To you of all people?"

"Go to hell Malfoy," She snarled and shoved herself from her perch, draining the last of her firewhiskey she darted over to the bar and began refilling it, "if you ask me I think you want this more than you lead on," she knew she was treading over thin ice, merely suggesting that someone as refined and well-bred as him could stoop so low as to desire marriage to her, but the alcohol was beginning to make her brain feel like it was floating, "like you said, never mind the physical attraction because I am just as guilty of that as you, I think you actually I _want_ to marry me. I also think that it kills you to know this because I've always been so 'beneath' you and now suddenly you see me as an equal and it scares the shit out of you." She shoved the stopper back into the bottle and turned, a wide smiling stretching from ear to ear. She felt sickly pleased with how flabbergasted he looked sitting on the sofa just staring at her as though his brain could not process what she'd just told him. She very much doubted that anyone had ever spoken to him in such a way.

"It is getting late," she smiled and downed the rest of her drink before setting the tumbler on the marble bar top, "good night Lucius." She bid him farewell and walked to the door to grab her dress; her mind still reeling from her small victory over him.

"What are you trying to prove Mudblood?" she jumped when he snarled in her ear. She hadn't heard him get up from his seat, she sort of hoped that he would just let her leave with her pride wholly intact for the first time in days, but she was relatively unsurprised that he wanted to continue this.

"That you are in deeper than you want to be." She retorted venomously as she turned to glare up at him; more than a little unsettled at how closely he stood before her. The five plus drinks she'd partaken in tonight were rapidly getting to her making her fuzzy and slow to respond.

"You mean to insinuate that you believe I am developing feelings for you?" he asked.

"I am telling you outright that I think you are falling in love with me." She answered boldly; more than a little nervous about how he would respond.

"Have you completely forgotten our conversation last night?"

"No but I think you have." She smiled and giggled slightly.

"Well I am sorry to burst your bubble as the muggles say but that is far from true," he informed her, barely above a whisper, "I doubt I could ever love you." Her mouth fell open as she stared up into his cold grey eyes that she too readily believed were incapable of showing anyone any amount of warmth. A venomous rage bubbled up inside of her, more at herself than anyone, making her face grow hot and her palms tingle to slap him.

He felt himself slipping. Watching her overflowing with rage, her face overcome with the most beautiful blush he'd ever seen… it was a wonder how he'd kept himself in line with her around. His palms tingled with the desire to grip her hair firmly between his fingers, to feel the firmness of her skull beneath them as she sucked his cock with the reckless abandon he knew she possessed. He could tell she was near inebriation but that only made her more desirable; her filter was gone, nothing was off the table for her to say to him and that only further intensified his ache. He liked a woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind to him; it made for a more satisfying punishment.

"Goddamn you Lucius…" she whispered lowly, raising her hand he grabbed it before she could make her swing at him. His fingers wrapped around her wrist so entirely the tips overlapped past his first knuckle making it that much easier for him to increase the pressure on her avian like bones until she made a small sound in the back of her throat.

"How many times must we have this conversation?" he snarled, leaning down so their noses were lightly touching. His other hand shot out and grabbed her free wrist before she could try anything, "When will you learn?" he yanked her forward so she fell against him, his arms wrapping around her successfully securing her hands behind her back.

"Hit me then you son of a bitch," she snarled up at him despite the awkward position of her chin on his chest, "you are no better than him."

Lucius bit back the venomous retort dangling on the edge of his lips at her angry quip, "Hitting is the very last thing I want to do to you." He whispered feeling entirely too on edge with her being so near; her light vanilla scent wrapped around him like a warm blanket making him feel sickeningly happy.

"Thus far it's been your favorite tactic with me," She continued on angrily but he found himself unaffected by her furious tone. He understood where she was coming from; he would be furious too if he were in her situation, "it's hardly right for a man to hit a woman! You are so much bigger than me… one of these days you're going to take it too far and actually hurt me. Well, breaking off the top of one of my teeth was painful enough…"

"Will you just be quiet for one second?" he demanded, loving the way her face grew redder and her eyes seemed to snap with fire. She opened her mouth to issue what he was certain would have been a curt retort had it not been blocked by his lips crashing into hers. His hands released her wrists, allowing her to bat at his chest feebly while he took the locks of her unruly hair in one hand and held her flush against him with the other, loving the way her small body felt fighting against him. Her actions were vastly contradicted by the moans vibrating against his lips, by her tongue darting in and out of his mouth, her teeth gripping his lower lip and nibbling it gently until he growled and did the same to her. Her hands began gripping his robes instead of pushing at him; her fingers trying to shimmy their way between their bodies so she could undo the buttons and finally be rid of the material blocking what he burned to possess.

"No more waiting." He hissed, releasing her lips and pulling her away so she could tear and yank at the silver buttons that ultimately ended up clattering to the floor as a result of her impatience.

"No more damn waiting…" she breathed out as his robes fell to the floor leaving him in something she hadn't expected to see, "why are you wearing that?" she asked as her eyes took inventory of the very muggle shirt and pants he wore. They were obviously expensive and well-tailored but still, she hadn't expected someone as pompous as him to wear something like that beneath his robes.

"Does it matter?" he grinned wickedly; reaching out he grabbed the thin straps of the light sundress she had on and pushed them over her shoulders. Hermione moaned at the tingling sensation brought on by his feather light touch as it trailed down her arms pulling the straps of the dress with it until it fell to the floor and she was left standing in her panties and bra. She refused to give herself a moment to panic; reaching out she took the top button of the shirt and began fumbling with it until she gave up and yanked the two sides of the shirt apart so the buttons went flying.

"I'll have you know this shirt cost me quite a bit of money." Lucius smiled down at her, his lust inflamed by her hurriedness.

"I'll pay you back." she mumbled offhandedly as she tugged the bottom of the shirt from his pants and pulled it from his shoulders so his torso was bare to her. Before she could reach up and touch his bare skin in the way she so wanted to he leaned down and gathered her in his arms; lifting her until she wrapped her bare legs around his hips he carried her a few feet and pressed her against the wall, his lips smashing against hers until she moaned and pulled at his hair. He held her against the wall with his chest pressed against hers while his hands worked between them to undo the infernal closure of his muggle trousers. He moaned thickly when the material fell to the floor and he was released; his aching cock surged upwards towards where she held herself against him. Grabbing her panties he gave them a hard yank that was awkward to say the least but successful. Sick satisfaction filled him at the loud ripping sound that filled the room making her gasp and moan louder.

"Lucius…" she moaned against his lips, her fingers tugging more fervently against his hair making his scalp tingle deliciously.

"Tell me what you want." He growled, arching his hips up slightly so he just barely brushed her sopping wet core.

"You… I want you… please…" she moaned and he stopped. A disturbing and wholly alien warmth filled him at the image of her writhing in his arms, begging him to take her… Narcissa had never begged, she had never wanted him so passionately and so completely. They had never fought so viciously, never teetered the thin edge between anger and lust as he had these past few days with Hermione. She made him feel alive when he should have felt cold and emotionless; it made him angry.

"This is not about love!" he declared viciously, more trying to convince himself than her. Without warning he gripped her hips, pushed them back slightly so she was positioned directly above him and drove himself deep into her tight, vice like core making her scream and claw at his back until he knew he was bleeding.

"But I think it is…" the unmistakably cold voice of Severus called from the doorway.


	11. Chapter 11

"Severus!" Hermione gasped, her hands pushing at Lucius who remained firmly embedded within her without the slightest hint of removing himself, "Lucius get away." She demanded, more embarrassed than anything. Severus stood in the doorway looking at them coldly as though he harbored know emotions about the image before him but she knew that was a lie; at least she hoped it was. If her last year before they went hunting for Horcruxes had any truth to it she knew he felt something for her.

_"Granger, remain after class." The potions professor announced frigidly making her peers snicker and glance at each other wide eyed._ _The golden girl of Gryffindor was known to never get an answer wrong, even when she was chosen out of the blue to answer the question she'd always been correct; except for now. _

_ "Yes professor." She nodded, her head angled down so no one could see the shame marring her features. Her mind had been constantly occupied with the events of late and what they would surely have in store for the three of them, how could anyone possibly study when they knew their world was about to take a turn for the worst and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it? _

_ Her shame increased tenfold when her peers all rose from their seats and began shuffling from the classroom, including Harry and Ron both of whom spared her a forlorn backward glance. She made herself busy gathering her books and parchments, hoping her fellow students would hurry so she could get this over with as quickly as possible. _

_ "Care to explain why you were unable to answer such a basic question?" Hermione jumped when his hands slammed down onto the desk on either side of her, he was leaning down to close their noses were nearly touching. _

_ "I answered the question." She informed him with a whisper. _

_ "Incorrectly. You answered the question incorrectly Granger." He snarled in his usual manner. _

_ "What does it matter to you if I am incorrect or not sir?" she challenged, her own temper having been stoked by his haughty attitude, "if I fail then so be it. It is no concern of yours if I choose to make nothing of myself and put forth no effort. So I shall thank you to stay out of my business and allow me to continue on in the manner with which I see fit," She nodded and shoved her materials into her knapsack before rising and gathering it into her arms, "good day professor." She turned and began walking towards the door where she knew Harry and Ron were awaiting her on the other side, when she felt his hand wrap around her forearm and yank her backwards causing the sack to fall from her arm and spill its contents onto the floor._

_ "Where is your mind Granger?" he demanded sourly as he held her arm so tightly she was sure she'd have bruises, "it is unlike you to be so careless about your education" he sounded almost concerned and that stunned her most of all._

_ "If I did not know any better professor," she looked from his hand where it held her up to his eyes that bore only a fleeting glimmer of emotion before it was hastily extinguished, "I would almost be comfortable saying that you care about what happens to me." She smiled widely, hoping to get a rise out of him. _

_ She was not disappointed. _

_ "I do care damnit!" he declared, his face overcome with such emotion it made her breath stop short in her lungs. Without ceremony his grip tightened and he yanked her forward against him, his lips crashing against hers in such a sudden barrage of barely contained lust it make her knees weak. His other hand roughly gripped the back of her neck so she couldn't back away as he released her arm and wrapped his around her back. Despite knowing it was wrong Hermione found herself wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her mouth opening to his to allow his tongue to gently dart in and out, his teeth gripped her lower lip between them and nibble gently until she moaned. Feelings she'd been harboring towards him suddenly burst forth making her grip him, pull him impossibly closer as his mouth practically ate at hers; a sick sense of pleasure filled her at knowing he'd been feeling the same way despite it being well and truly wrong. _

_ "I…" he whispered as they both pulled away to take in a much needed breath, "I care more than I should." _

_ "Professor…" she began with a whisper, entirely too unsure of herself and what they were doing. It was dangerous ground, the one they were treading. _

_ "There is a war starting Granger." _

_ "I know." She whispered, her fingers idly stroking the back of his neck. He sighed lowly and looked up at her, surprising her with the depth of emotion evident in his gaze as his hand moved from the back of her neck to cup her cheek gently. _

_ "You are strong and intelligent. It pains me to see you so preoccupied with the events as of late… you are neglecting your studies and I think in the end that will upset you more than the fight ensuing," he whispered, "you make me forget her…" she wanted to ask what he was talking about but didn't feel right doing so. _

_ "I must go." She whispered feeling suddenly overwhelmed and uncertain. She shimmed out of his arms and sprinted to where her books lie in a pile on the stone floor. Gathering them into her arms hastily she ran towards the door and yanked it open with her free hand. _

_ "You become responsible forever for what you have tamed Hermione." _

"Severus…" she continued shoving at Lucius who held her closely, his breathing erratic and uneven with lust and fury.

"You feel like heaven." Lucius whispered in her ear as he pulled his hips back and surged them forward making a guttural moan fall from her lips at the intense barbs of pleasure coiling within her belly.

"Stop Lucius…" she begged, her hands switching from shoving him to pulling him closer, "not here, not in front of him… please…" she moaned as he dealt her another mind numbing thrust.

"You are to be my wife… not his…" he snarled and continued his thrusting, loving the way her eyes closed and her mouth fell open with a sob of pure bliss.

"She should have been mine!" was all they heard right before Severus charged over to Lucius and grabbed him by the throat, his fangs bared and glimmering in the light as he yanked Lucius away from Hermione and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"Severus stop!" she shouted as she fell to her knees on the floor.

"Well…" a slithering voice from the doorway made them all stop and hold their breaths, "isn't this charming," Hermione hesitated to turn her head but it was almost as if she couldn't stop herself; her muscles had a mind of their own as she looked over at Voldemort who stood and surveyed the scene with a sadistic smile, "Severus, stop what you are doing." She looked back at Severus who dropped his arm almost robotically and stepped away from Lucius, his eyes cold and calculating.

"It seems I need to drop by this place more often." He continued with a laugh as Lucius pulled up his pants and Hermione grabbed her dress, holding it against her nakedness awkwardly as the Dark Lord approached her.

"My lord…" she addressed him hoping to win some brownie points.

"It seems to me that you have won the hearts of my most loyal followers," he sneered at her as though it sickened him, which it probably did, "whatever shall we do with you Mudblood?"

"I have won the heart of no one my lord." It burned her to address him as such.

"I somehow doubt that," he snarled, eyes darting up to look at Lucius who still stood half naked and Severus whose fangs were still filling his mouth, "it pleases me to see you and Lucius making such… rapid progress," She felt sickened at his acknowledgement of her situation but she dared not let it show, "it seems as though my journey here was not in vain. The strangest thing of all this is that I do not doubt your loyalty," he looked at her intently, "I doubt theirs." He turned and glared at the two men standing before him.

"Why my lord?" her heart was beating out of chest as her mind raced to figure out what could have possibly happened; how he could possibly know.

"Severus is unable to betray me," he walked over to where the two men stood and glared up at them, "he is, after all, my Inferi." It clearly burned Severus to be reminded but he held his tongue.

"Lucius, however, is not connected to me in any way other than time." He took three steps over and stood before the taller man. Lucius wore his mask of confidence expertly, his eyes showing none of the fear she was certain he felt.

"My lord… I have served you for…" he began but was cut short by Voldemort hissing maniacally.

"Your words mean nothing!" he snarled, "you are a liar, we all know this."

"I have done nothing to warrant your doubt my lord," Lucius continued evenly, his tone never once belaying his fear, "I pursued her, exhausted every possible avenue with which she could have escaped, I tracked her whereabouts once I was positive where she was so no questions would be raised and I captured her. I have proven my loyalty time and time again to you."

"I need not explain myself to you Lucius," Voldemort snarled, visibly agitated by Lucius's speech, "or have you forgotten who is in charge here?" he reached into his robes and produced the elder wand as a muggle would produce a gun in the midst of an argument; he was making a statement and it did not go unnoticed.

"Of course not my lord…" Lucius bowed his head, "What can I do to prove to you my loyalty?" the Dark Lord stared at him thoughtfully, his brain working on the sickest possible thing it could conjure up. Hermione held her breath while considering the vast amount of possibilities laid out before her; she was going to be the one to bear the brunt of his sick imaginings certainly.

"This is certainly proving to be a far more interesting night than I had previously envisioned," Voldemort snarled sickly as he considered Hermione and Lucius, "You wish to prove your loyalty to me? Wish to prove that above all else you work for me and she is no more than a simple business transaction to you?" he prodded further making Hermione all the more nervous and uncertain.

"Of course my lord." Lucius answered sincerely. Their relationship was in no way about love but that stung.

"Crucio her." Her heart fell into her stomach. Her palms began sweating and everything began feeling hazy, she felt like her head was filled with water as she bit her lip to keep from whimpering in pure, unadulterated fear. She kept her eyes trained on the floor, certain that if she were to look up she would vomit, and watched as Voldemort's pale feet took a few steps back and Lucius's took center stage with highly polished shoes she didn't know he was still wearing. She jumped when he reached down and dug around in his nearly ruined robes and removed his wand; his eyes meeting hers for a brief second she saw regret in their silvery depths but it was quickly covered with frigidness.

"Crucio." Lucius stated evenly and emotionlessly once his wand was pointed at her. Hermione let out a shrill scream as white hot pain flooded her from scalp to toe; thousands of invisible knives pierced her skin, fire roared across her muscles and melted her bones making her fall backwards unable to move or convulse, all she could do was scream. The gown she'd been holding against her chest pooled in her lap leaving her almost entirely naked as she laid there screaming in pure agony.

Lucius watched as she screamed pitifully and for the first time in a long time he felt true remorse. He felt like a million kinds of shitty for doing this to her but, in the end, it was for the best and he knew she would understand.

"If we continue much longer my lord the damage will be irreversible." Severus muttered in Voldemort's ear after a good minute and a half of listening to her scream.

"Enough Lucius," Voldemort concurred and Lucius dropped his wand. Her screaming ceased immediately, leaving their ears ringing and imminent headaches heading their way, "if you are willing to do that to the woman you are to marry than you are sicker than I thought… but you have proven yourself." The Dark Lord smiled a moment before he disapparated with a loud pop.

Lucius dropped his wand and rushed over to where Hermione lay unconscious on the floor. He slid to his knees and gathered her in his arms, her back against his legs he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and cupped her face with his free hand.

"Hermione… Hermione wake up…" he gently shook her and rubbed her face, "I'm so sorry. Please wake up!" he began begging desperately while Severus merely looked on until Lucius turned his head and glared at the emotionless man.

"Help me Severus!" he demanded viciously.

"I cannot; not without possibly hurting her more." He nodded his head towards her face before rushing from the room. Lucius turned back towards her and felt his heart sink further when he noticed her nose bleeding profusely. He immediately wiped the blood from her upper lip as if to make it go away but it only worked to smear it across her cheek.

"Wake up! Please wake up!" he begged, pulling her up from his lap against his chest and wrapping his arms around her torso so he was hugging her close. He felt like a lost child as she lied unmoving in his arms; he was filled with bitter regret at everything that had happened to her the past few days because, in reality, it was entirely his fault.

"I knew you loved me you psycho."


	12. Chapter 12

** Three days later**

She stared down at her finger, currently clad with both her engagement ring and a matching white gold band covered in diamonds. The words of devotion had long since been declared by both of them before a crowd of his family, fellow death eaters of which there were many, and every single member of the new 'Ministry of Magic.' All in all there were two hundred people in attendance and not one of them she liked save a few whom she felt indifferent about.

She felt beautiful at least; her dress was stunning and immaculate, her hair perfectly styled, her makeup light and tasteful, her feet aching and sore from the very muggle arctic white Louboutin pumps that Lucius had so graciously purchased for her.

"You are a lucky woman." The witch sitting next to her, whose name she had immediately forgotten upon introduction, whispered as she peered down at her footwear.

"Um… thank you?"

"Your feet cannot be very comfortable in those," the woman smiled and gazed down admiringly at her feet which she was suddenly self-conscious about, "but they are stunning."

"Well weddings only happen once in your life so better make it special." Hermione smiled, picking up her champagne flute she took a deep swallow of the bubbly liquid and motioned for more from the waiter.

She continued to make pleasant small talk with the woman while Lucius stood with a group of men laughing loudly on the other side of the room. She'd been keeping count; he was on his sixth nearly full tumbler of firewhiskey.

"So where is the honeymoon to be?" The woman asked brightly making Hermione look back and gulped when five other women crowded around her, all eager to know the answer.

"I'm not sure…" she muttered, "he hasn't told me yet. Probably France or something." She finished her third glass of champagne and quickly reached up to grab another one from a passing waiter's silver tray.

"How romantic that will be." The women sighed and smiled as though entranced while Hermione stared at them as though they had gone daft.

"Romantic… I suppose that will be one way of describing it." She muttered into her glass and giggled slightly.

"Well before he met you," a woman from behind her group began, making Hermione turn and look at her as well as the other women who stared in wonder. She looked to be at least five foot nine with shoulder length straight blonde hair that rivaled Lucius's for brightness; her eyes were shockingly pink and sparkly which begged the question what she was, "he took me to France; to his villa," Jealously rose up like acid in Hermione's throat; how dare this woman bring up something as distasteful as a romantic entanglement with her husband at her wedding. But she quickly bit back the scathing comment; what did she care what he'd done? "I would advise sunscreen and sleep whenever you can get it." The woman smiled widely and knowingly before she bid them farewell and made her way over to the men; all of whom greeted her loudly and warmly including Lucius who wrapped his arms around her and flashed her a sincere smile that made Hermione's insides churn furiously.

"Winrys." One of the women declared after they'd all been staring after the woman for the better part of two minutes.

"Beg pardon?" Hermione turned back and asked.

"That's Winrys. Narcissa's second cousin twice removed or something like that," A mercilessly short, almost dwarflike, woman informed her, "I could tell you didn't know her so I thought I ought to let you know."

"Her eyes are pink…" Hermione turned back and stared at the woman who had her arm wrapped around Lucius's torso.

"She has fairy blood in her," another woman piped up, "explains the eyes and how skinny she's always been."

"She's not a pureblood?"

"No."

"It surprises me that the Dark Lord would keep her around then." Hermione reflected, her nails digging into her palms and Winrys began stroking her husband's back.

"She is powerful and has no muggle blood; she's as good as a pureblood to him." another woman added making Hermione wonder; did any of them know who she was? Surely they had heard of her when the war was going on, did they not wonder why Lucius was marrying her? She wanted to ask but figured it better not to rock the proverbial boat so she simply sighed and continued her viewing of her first taste of competition.

Women like Winrys were the worst for a girl's self-esteem. She was confident around men, knew all the men, made them all laugh, flirted with them… it made Hermione's blood boil; the sight of Lucius laughing so sincerely at what she said, seeing her hands all over him and him not shrugging her away.

"Best not to let it get to you dear," Hermione jumped when she felt a hand pat her own, looking back she saw an older woman smiling at her sympathetically and it made tears threaten to spill from her eyes. The gesture was something she would expect from someone like Professor McGonagall, "look for the good in the situation. You've married a handsome and rich man; let those be the things that make it worthwhile because faithfulness is not, and never will be, his strongpoint."

##

Five glasses of champagne later, Hermione was finding it difficult for anything to bother her. Lucius was sitting languidly in a chair next to her, Winrys was off canoodling with some other group of men, the women who had befriended her were nearly as drunk as she was and all in all everything had evened out.

"Are you about ready to leave?" Lucius leaned forward and whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. She turned her head and met his gaze, heat flooding her from a combination of the alcohol and her memory of him inside of her yesterday.

"Let me say goodbye to a few people first." She told him and stood; desperate to put space between them and remember her anger rather than let herself become flustered and lusty. She marched over to the group of women she'd been talking to and bid them farewell, loving the way they all stood and gave her a warm hug and sent her off with well wishes. She looked around for Severus, whom she had not seen more than once or twice throughout the whole day, but could not find him. Sighing she turned around dejectedly and ran head first into someone.

"Oh my god I am so sorry." She declared before looking up and seeing Voldemort standing before her sneering.

"I advise looking up when you walk Granger," he spat venomously, "I wish to have a word with you." He reached out and grabbed her forearm roughly, yanking her towards the edge of the room where they could speak in relative privacy.

"I trust you have not forgotten our bargain?" she nodded slowly, "then you shall take this time to establish yourself as a convincing wife and think over the information you are to present to me."

"Of course my lord." The words felt like acid on her tongue but she forced them out sweetly. He turned around without another word and walked away leaving her angry and scared at the edge of the room. She'd let everything get to her head; the wedding, the dress, the kisses, the 'sex', the jealousy… she'd almost forgotten what she was really here for and that scared her. Rubbing her forehead in frustration she looked up and surveyed the room; hoping to find Severus but instead finding Winrys chatting it up with Lucius again, her hand on his side as they stood no more than eight inches away from each other, alone. Black fury rose up in her stomach at the sight of the heart to heart they appeared to be having.

At least she was no longer scared about the Dark Lord.

Kicking her thousands of euros worth of shoes off she picked them up along with the bottom of her dress and rushed out the door; ignoring the way her feet screamed at her from the change of position as she marched up the stairs and down the hallway into her room. Slamming the door shut behind her she locked it and threw the heels onto the bed as she reached back and began untying the corset back of her dress. Once it was finally loose she shoved it to the floor and stepped out, kicking it aside much like a child would she stomped over to the closet and shoved the door open. She grabbed the first thing she saw that looked comfortable; a pair of muggle jeans and a t-shirt.

Yanking the jeans on and pulling the t-shirt over her head she grabbed a pair of socks and sat on her vanity stool to pull them onto her feet along with her trainers. She immediately turned to the mirror and laughed at how ridiculous she looked with such casual attire against the formal jewelry, hair and makeup. She gripped the earrings and pulled them from her earlobes, followed by the necklace she had been wearing and slammed them both onto the table. She shoved herself away from the vanity and rushed to the bathroom. Yanking the first handle she could she turned the faucet on full blast and immediately began scrubbing at her face to rid herself of the makeup that suddenly felt too caked on.

"Granger?" A voice called from the other side of the bedroom door followed by rough knocking.

"What?" she demanded.

"Let me in." she knew it was Lucius and sighed, making her way over to the door at a snail's pace she hesitantly unlocked it and let it glide open.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"Where is your dress?" he demanded, "You look like a common muggle." He looked her up and down critically before scoffing.

"Sorry to disappoint darling," she retorted snidely, still drying her face from the brutal washing she'd given it, "but now that we are married I have completely lost all desire to impress you. We might as well just sleep in separate beds, eat at opposite ends of the table," she walked back to the bathroom and was pleased when he did not follow, "sleep with other people…" she added while hanging the hand towel back on the rack. She began methodically opening drawers and gathering things from them such as her toothbrush and toothpaste when he came and stood in the bathroom doorway and stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Don't act stupid Lucius!" she shouted, slamming her little box of floss onto the marble counter, "I don't give two shits what you do okay? But if you intend to have an affair with little miss tinker bell make it private!"

"Tinker bell? What the fuck are you talking about? Winrys?!" he shouted back.

"Who else?! You know it's not even original of you!" she yanked another drawer open and pulled a few more toiletries from it, "she's related to Narcissa! Real original Malfoy! Try someone from a different bloodline!" she picked up a tube of lip gloss and hurled it at him, loving the way it landed against his face and made him flinch.

"Can't stomach the taste of your own medicine?!" he shouted, pushing himself away from where he leaned on the doorframe. His eyes were dark and fiery as he stalked towards her with the distinct air of a predator but she refused to back away, "you've been in love with Severus since who knows how long! You agree to marry me and yet you still melt when he comes into a room… how does it feel Granger?!" he snarled, pushing her against the counter and resting his hands on either side of her hips so he could glare down at her closely. Their noses were touching as they stared daggers at each other; both unwilling to back down, "It burns you doesn't it? To see me acting with another woman the way you act with Severus. It stings doesn't it?!" he shouted.

"You can do whatever you damn well please Malfoy," she snarled after a few moments of tense silence, "make sure your eyes never stray from the prize and make sure we accomplish what we came here to do." She knew it made him furious when she insinuated that he was straying from the course and this time was no different. He growled down at her, his right hand shooting up from the counter to grab her arm and pull her away from the counter.

"Where are we going?" she demanded heatedly, knowing full well what he was doing.

"We are going on our honeymoon darling." He spat, yanking her against him and wrapping his arms around her. He barely gave her a second to take a breath before his lips were upon hers, demanding and taking. His face was pressed against hers hard as he took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hard enough to make her squirm in pain.

"You son of a bitch…" she snarled when he pulled away; the metallic, penny like taste of blood hitting her tongue, "Where are you taking me?"

"Bruges my love," he continued scathingly, "where I shall make you pay for what you have said to me." She hated to admit it but fear pierced her gut.

"What are you…" she whispered.

"Your punishment will be sweet and long. I am going to fuck you until you cannot walk tomorrow and you ache all over; I will make you beg for mercy and will give you none. You are going to love what I do to you and how I make you feel Mudblood because now," he whispered darkly making her jump between fear and unabashed desire, "you are well and truly _mine."_


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione's breath was thrown from her lungs when they arrived at their destination; Lucius in the center of the immaculate and cozy living area, her against the large, jagged stones that made up the fireplace.

"You are not very good at that." He laughed as she sucked in a shaky breath. She bent down at the waist and gripped her knees; without looking up she raised one arm and flipped him off making him laugh and stride over to her. Placing one hand on her shoulder he hauled her up to a standing position and held her there as she regained a normal breathing pattern.

Once she was able to take three relatively routine breaths she looked up at him with a glare and shoved him back. Taking advantage of his slight stumble she pulled her arm back, clenched her fist and shot it forward to land a solid blow to his cheek; his head snapped to the side as a trickle of blood began forming on his lips. He reached up and wiped the crimson fluid away before turning back and staring at her incredulously.

"Didn't think I'd let you abduct me without a fight did you?" she laughed; the alcohol having more firmly rooted itself in her brain. He gave her one last look of disbelief before lunging at her, his hand gripping her hair he yanked her towards him and released her only to bend over and push her legs out from under her so she fell over his shoulder, "Put me down!" she shouted and began pounding at his lower back, "You fucking psycho!" she screamed when he began walking her towards the staircase.

"It really pisses me off that you took your dress off Granger," he began as he took the steps two at a time, "I was looking forward to ripping it off you." She continued batting at him as they reached a landing, rounded a corner and began taking another flight of stairs upwards. From what she could tell the place was big but not spread out.

"Well it really…" she began, closing her eyes to keep the room from spinning too badly, "pisses me the fuck off that you invited your mistress to our wedding! You know I really would have figured," she continued on as he swung her from his shoulder onto a perfectly made bed that smelled of lavender so thickly it made her stomach lurch, "that someone with such _impeccable_ breeding, with as much class and propriety as you would have thought it through a little better and realized how distasteful it was," She could tell she was getting to him; his gaze was stony and his muscles tense as he began undoing the many buttons on the front of his robes, "I mean, what would your father have to say Lucius? Hmmm? I'm sure big daddy Malfoy would be rather displeased at how you conducted yourself with her. He is probably rolling over in his grave as we speak!" a tick began in his jaw as he dropped his robes to the floor to reveal a perfectly tailored tuxedo beneath them that made her heart stop; he looked utterly perfect but she would never admit it.

"Take your clothes off." He demanded curtly through clenched teeth.

"Oh no Lucius… that's not how we are going to do this. You want to play the rape game then you're going to have to work for it." she snarled up at him as she raised herself to a sitting position. His fingers stilled around the black tie as he regarded her thoughtfully; she could see him planning something. With a flash of energy his hand shot out and gripped her ankle, yanking her forward before she could even begin struggling or flailing he pulled her legs off the bed and pounced on top of her; his hands quickly gathering her wrists and pinning them above her head as he bore his weigh down upon her until she began struggling to take a breath.

"You try my patience Granger," he breathed though clenched teeth, his fire whiskey laced breath heavy against her face as he ghosted his lips over hers, "but truth be told it's one of my favorite things about you," his tongue darted out and probed her bottom lip in a flash and was gone just as rapidly as it had appeared, "you make me so furious, make me want to beat the living shit out of you," he slammed her wrists together hard enough to make her whimper and gathered them both in one hand to allow his free hand to gently stroke her face, his thumb gently caressing her lips before trailing his fingers down over her jaw and cupping her throat in his grasp, "I can sometimes envision myself wrapping my hands around your throat like so," his grasp tightened marginally, "and watching as the very life drains from your eyes."

"You could never." She rasped against his tight hold; loving the way his eyes fluttered with confliction and something she was unable to place, something that scared her more than the hand on her throat.

"No…" he whispered, his eyes taking on a hazy quality as though he was looking at something far off, "No I could not; not anymore." His grasp loosened until he was simply stroking her collarbone. His strange pseudo admission of admiration had done little to assuage the anger still running rampant inside of her.

"How dare you invite her to _our _wedding." She whispered up at him, hating the way the backs of her eyes pricked with tears.

"She is no longer my mistress…"

"Bullshit Lucius!" she shouted, "Were you unfaithful when you were married to Narcissa?" she saw the anger reignite in his gaze but she refused to back down; he was her life now and she deserved to be able to ask him this, "Were you?!" she demanded after a few moments of tense silence passed between them. He roughly grabbed the collar of her t-shirt and pulled at it until it began ripping.

"Yes goddamn you! I was!" he shouted as she began shoving at his arms. Her shirt was completely torn down the front and hanging open when he started undoing the button holding her jeans together, "is this what you wanted to hear?! I cheated on her every chance I got and I realize I am scum for doing so!" She kicked at his legs and pounded on his shoulders when he began pulling her jeans down her legs.

"Get away from me you asshole!" she screamed once her pants were lying on the floor.

"No," he retorted venomously, shoving her shoulders back and climbing atop her so the ability to evade him was cut short, "not until you understand that I will never do that to you!"

"Damn you…" she whispered when he dropped his head and lightly brushed his lips over hers. His hands slowly roamed over the contours of her exposed skin; fingers dipping into her navel, thumb gently nudging her bra strap over her shoulder where he kissed her once the skin was revealed.

"You are so beautiful," He whispered as he pulled the straps further down until she was completely exposed. His kisses trailed from her shoulder down to her breast making her squirm and moan as he captured a nipple with his lips and laved at it, "even when you are stark raving mad at me I can still make you writhe." He muttered around the now hardened nub.

"I hate you Lucius Malfoy." She cried out when he the hand that wasn't working at her other breast touched her sodden core despite the panties still covering her. His fingers pressed insistently at her clit making her twist and groan, her hands gripping his hair as though she was afraid he was going to release her.

"Do not lie," he whispered heatedly as he tugged the center of her panties to the side and plunged a finger deep within her making her back arch and her lips fall open on a desperate cry, "no one else can make you feel the way I do. With me you walk the razor's edge of fury and lust," he twisted his finger and rubbed at her clit with his thumb, loving the way her fingers tightened in his hair until his scalp stung, "I make you feel alive." He pumped his finger in and out of her wet heat until her cries became high pitched and scattered; he knew she was close and refused to give it to her so soon.

Once he felt her spasm around him he yanked his finger from her and covered her mouth with his as he fumbled with his jeans. His tongue probed her mouth, his teeth biting her lower lip as she pulled at his hair and bit him back.

"Lucius…" she moaned thickly once is trousers were undone and he was able to release himself. Without ceremony he reached down, grabbed behind her knee, lifted her leg so her calf nearly touched his shoulder and impaled her with one swift plunge. His mouth swallowed her scream of pain laced ecstasy that made him ache to take her like an animal but he held himself back. This was to be her punishment and it must be calculated, not swift and clumsy.

"Beg for it," He snarled. Pulling his hips back so he was barely inside he held himself there until she began moaning and squirming, her hands pulling at his shoulders in a feeble attempt to pull him more firmly inside, "Beg me."

"Goddamn you Lucius Malfoy." She ground out as she wriggled her hips, gaining an inch on him.

"You need only ask, plead for it, and I shall give you everything you need." He stated through clenched teeth, pulling that inch away from her. He could see the turmoil in her eyes; she was unaccustomed to begging for anything and clearly it burned her to be considering it. But in the end she cracked like he knew she would.

"Please Lucius…" she moaned.

"Please what?"

"Please fuck me!" she shouted, her nails digging into his shoulders as he smiled and seated himself fully within her stealing the breath from her lungs on a moan. Shoving his hands beneath her shoulders he lifted her and turned quickly to sit on the edge of the bed; the position driving him impossibly deeper into her searing heat. He held onto her hips tightly as she began grinding on him; his teeth clenched against the sensations rocketing through him threatening to undo him.

"You have been so mad at me that you have forgotten the wedding present I have yet to give you." He ground out as her hips performed a particularly maddening swivel.

"Focus Lucius…" she smiled down at him through her now tangled hair he was gathering in his hands and pulling off to the side so he could place gently kisses on her neck. She began riding him like her life depended on it, her hips moving this way and that until she was moaning with near delirious ecstasy.

"Hermione…" he groaned as his orgasm began rushing upon him with lightning speed, "trust me." He commanded but it was lost on her with her pursuit of bliss. Gripping her arms he moved them from his shoulders to wrap around his torso and held them there as he drove his hips upwards. Shards of white hot pleasure began exploding through her when a sharp, knife like pain tore through her shoulder adding an intoxicating and wholly hedonistic edge to her orgasm. She turned her head towards the pain and saw Severus with his teeth buried in the flesh of her shoulder. With a pull of his lips and a thrust from Lucius her orgasm increased tenfold making her scream and Lucius cry out with his own climax.


	14. Chapter 14

"There is no marriage law declaring us to carry forth a suitable companionship… no other wizard holding me to a bargain long since struck…" the heat given off by the fire roaring behind her was nearly overwhelming, his breath was warm against her bare neck and he smelled thickly of brandy and cigars, "no my little Golden Girl, there is nothing as trivial as that at work here…" his tongue darted out of his mouth and laved against her overly sensitized skin making her squirm and moan against him despite her best, most honest efforts, "there is only my lust for you in the room with us tonight. This is not about love or procreation… this is about my nearly insatiable desire to carry you up to my bed and fuck your mudblood brains out."

"Then why are we to marry?" she asked breathily, unable to deny the rampant desire coursing through her at the sensation of his large hands running up and down her sides, grabbing her hips and pulling her forward to grind against his aching erection that seemed so barely contained.

"Because, my little coquette," he growled against her skin, nipping it none too gently, "when we are married I am able to keep you all to myself. To have you whenever I so choose… whenever I feel the urge to bury myself deep within your tight cunt…" he hissed that last word making her grind her teeth at the dirtiness she felt just being subject to such talk.

"You will lose fun after raping me a few times." She responded bluntly, hoping to cut through the haze of alcohol clouding his mind. He laughed throatily, his chest rumbling with the action. She rested her head against his shoulder, the strange desire to have her hands free, not so she could slap him or attack him but run her hands through his hair, to find out if it was as soft as it looked, overwhelmed her.

"Can it be considered rape if you desire it?" he offered darkly.

"I'll never want it." You fucking liar, she screamed at herself mentally.

"You have no idea how much you will Hermione…" he groaned, arching his hips to press his throbbing cock against her despite the many layers of clothes separating them, "I'll make you fucking beg for it."

"He shall suspect your intentions." She offered, praying they would change the subject lest she melt in his arms any further.

"He shall suspect nothing but my utmost loyalty… especially if we make it look convincing," His arm shot up, his hand wrapping around her upper arm to span its entire circumference and squeeze harshly until she hissed, his perfectly manicured nails digging into her flesh until she was certain she'd be bruised, "so what do you say Hermione? Are you agreeing to my proposition?" he whispered in her ear. It seemed so much simpler when he was declaring it to be about the sex and only that, none of these potentially life threatening circumstances…

But in the end what choice did she have? Pair up with Lucius and overthrow the Dark Lord and his pursuit of the darkest magic she'd ever imagined, saving the wizarding world with only her innocence being lost… or protecting her virtue at the cost of becoming a prisoner of Voldemort and having said magic potentially turned upon her in the end?

Agree to his bargain, overthrow the Dark Lord and while he is riding the high of his victory slash his throat… she mused darkly, astonished at the direction her own thoughts had taken. Her mind was awash with a smiling, happy Lucius having his throat gouged with a knife… of freeing the entire wizarding world of the oppression it had been subjected to for far too long by not only Voldemort but all his followers as well.

Maybe she had no innocence to lose.

"Yes… I agree…" she found herself muttering before she could stop.

"We start tonight." He growled against her neck. Standing he grabbed her butt and held her against him, her legs wrapping around his hips as he slowly walked them towards the doorway and, inevitably, up to his bedroom.

She could already feel the knife in her hand.

Hermione awoke on a gasp with an electric soreness radiating through her shoulder and pelvis. This was a first as far as nightmares go; as though the past week had been crammed into ten minutes. The worst, most unnerving, facet of this experience was the sensation of the hilt of a knife resting in her hand where there was none. Looking down at her open palm cautiously, as though she was afraid there would be a blade in it, she exhaled shakily when she saw it was empty. Closing her fingers around the imaginary weapon she turned her head and looked over at Lucius who took on the appearance of an innocent boy in his sleep. Her brain was awash with images of digging the knife into his unassuming neck, of dragging the hypothetical blade across his flesh until blood sprayed upwards and coated her hand.

"Where is your mind?" she jumped and opened her hand at the voice calling to her gently from across the room. Severus sat in a small chair near the window simply staring at her unnervingly making her wonder how long he'd been there.

"Nowhere." She snapped, worried he'd somehow know what she had been considering.

"Your eyes say different." He smirked.

"Care to explain?" she motioned towards her shoulder with a flourished hand gesture that made his smile devilishly as though he was all too pleased about what he had done which, in all reality, he probably was, "Am I going to turn into a night-walking bloodsucker like you?" he chuckled at this and shook his head.

"Come now Granger, you are smart, of course not."

"Then why did you do it?" she demanded, irritated with his patronizing tone. Before she could blink he was up out of his chair and hovering over her; one of the many advantages of being him she guessed.

"You wanted it." He stated simply leaving no room for denial.

"Maybe so but how did you get Lucius to agree?"

"He came to me with the idea, said that since this," he gestured to her and still sleeping Lucius, "was not about love or anything traditional such as that, that he was willing to share you." He smiled down at her, showcasing his glimmering incisors that had grown since the start of their conversation.

"Maybe I don't want to be 'shared.'" She whispered acidly.

"Oh come off it Granger! We need not stand on ceremony with each other; you pretending you are an un-blemish, un-initiated, virginal flower who would never entertain the fantasy of being shared by two men who desire you greatly is almost as laughable as me claiming to have a soul." Her initial instinct was to lash back at him but she stopped herself; she wondered if he did in fact have a soul.

"But you need only say the words, tell me you don't want to be shared by us, and I will back off. Mind you it will be incredibly difficult for me seeing as how I have tasted you and I still have yet to get into your pants."

"Could you be more rude?" she asked in regards to his unbecoming reference to sleeping with her.

"I have yet to fuck you, there, is that better?" she rolled her eyes but smiled non-the-less.

"I don't want either of you to back off," She confessed, "I want you both."

"Luckily for you we want the same." She felt like a millions types of crappy for being so selfish and self-serving but in her defense this entire situation was forced upon her against her will so she deserved to get something out of it.

"Well as much as I would love to finish what we started all those years ago," she blushed, "I cannot. Dawn is approaching and I must leave." Bending over he captured her chin in his fingers and gently raised her head so he could press his lips against hers. Hermione moaned at the electrical explosion arching between them; her arms wound around his shoulders as her tongue licked the seam of his closed lips in a desperate attempt to be let in. Disappointment flooded her when he grabbed her arms and pulled them from his shoulders as well as disengaged their lips.

"Forgive me Hermione," he whispered hoarsely, "trust me when I say there is nothing I want more than to kiss you but I simply cannot control myself around you. Having already tasted you makes it that much harder." She sighed dejectedly but unwound her arms all the same, hating the way he rushed from the room. In his defense the window began lightening up with dawn approaching.

Sighing, she laid down at repositioned the covers over herself. It was really too early to be awake anyway.

She jumped slightly when Lucius snaked an arm around her and yanked her against him. Strangely enough she did not want to fight him, instead she just let herself melt against him, pushing away all thoughts of treachery and murder that were probably a result of a bad dream and nothing else; at least that's what she hoped.

"Hermione…" Lucius grumbled.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Hermione…" clearly he was sleep talking so she just figured she'd ignore him. Closing her eyes she wiggled against him a little bit to get closer and began letting herself drift towards sleep when he made her still and made any chance of sleep impossible by saying, "I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Lalina92 did indeed call it**

**Filler chapter of sorts**

Disturbed was an accurate way of describing how Hermione felt. She sat at the small dining table bathed in sunlight drinking a cup of coffee, a nasty addiction she had picked up from living in America for so long. Since he'd uttered those three horrible, much dreaded words in her ear she hadn't been able to even entertain the idea of sleeping. Her mind was working a mile a minute just trying to process what he had said let alone come up with a response to it. She doubted that he even knew what he'd said but still; how could she act the same around him knowing he'd felt that way.

"Son of a bitch cracked first." She laughed into her cup as she took a sip. She'd attempted to distract herself with some of the books she'd found in the sack that Lucius had brought here earlier. Some of it was incredibly helpful with bits and pieces of information regarding necromancy and vampirism but most of it was useless; not much was known about either of those things except that they were both heavily frowned upon in the wizarding world.

She needed something to present to Voldemort; something that would appear helpful and may even aid him in his attempts but not fully enable him to perform again. The answer was clearly not in these books, at least from what she could tell. They were all arcane and falling apart at the seams not to mention non-extensive in their explaining of necromancy or vampirism.

"Perhaps the answer could lie somewhere they'd never think to look." She muttered, closing a book and pulling her pad of paper closer. The amount of information she had written down was pitiful but it was all she could extract.

"You're liable to blow a blood vessel if you keep looking so hard." Lucius muttered from the staircase behind her making her jump and drop her coffee cup.

"Damn it Malfoy!" she ground out looking at the shattered ceramic remains floating in a pool of coffee on the flo0r. He laughed and walked around her to grab a towel from the counter and hand it to her so she could start mopping up the remains of her beverage.

"So what have you gathered?" he asked when she deposited the shards of pottery onto the counter, hissing as her finger began bleeding as a result of a small nick.

"Nothing new or helpful; the books are very vague about the topics." She popped her finger into her mouth and sucked on it to stop the bleeding which drew his eye to her hand, his eyes visibly heating up at the images she was surely bringing forth in his mind.

"Well," he coughed and looked away, "I had a very short amount of time to gather them. I'm sorry I didn't choose better ones." Him playing the martyr made her temper flare.

"I'm not blaming you!" she slammed her hand down on the counter, the blood luckily having stopped, "I'm explaining why I don't have more written down."

"Well what have you gathered thus far?" he walked to the cabinets and began pulling out the makings for tea. His constructive attitude threw her for a loop but she picked up her pad of paper none-the-less and began reading off what she had.

"There are a few different legends telling where this all started, vampirism that is, but every one of them claim to be the true origination so we cannot know for certain which one is truly the beginning. Necromancy is even more vague, cases dating back thousands of years of people who claimed to be able to talk to spirits but none talk about the ability to raise the dead from their graves. He was able to do this before so I am completely baffled as to why he is suddenly unable to repeat his results."

"He was with Severus." He put the kettle on the stove and turned the gas on so a blue flame appeared beneath the grates. Hermione had the ear insatiable urge to give him shit about using such a muggle contraption but she didn't feel like fighting.

"Yes but I think his efforts were thwarted by the fact that he was also creating a vampire. It worked with Severus yes, he got lucky, but to repeat the results would require a more powerful, older magic. And despite his god complex he just does not possess such abilities," she explained as he pulled out two unbroken cups and sat them on the counter before her, "that is just a theory however."

"It makes sense to me. He was able to raise the dead before but what he is aiming for is infinitely different. The Inferi were mindless drones that followed his every command. They did not think or have any mind of their own. He wants a free thinking, vampiric prisoner." He turned once the kettle began screaming and pulled it off the heat. Pouring the water into a teapot he closed the lid and brought the apparatus over to where she sat.

"That's awful." She whispered as he took a seat in the barstool next to her, his hand resting on her thigh making her think back to what he said in bed earlier.

"Where should we look?" he asked.

"I'm not sure but I'm thinking maybe we could look to some muggle manuscripts. They may prove to be insightful even if they don't answer all our questions."

"Then that is what we will do." He removed his hand from her leg and picked up the teapot. He poured them both a cup of tea and leaned over to kiss her cheek which made her freeze; terrified he'd say the words again.

"Why did you do that?" her hand fluttered up to her tingling cheek as she looked at him.

"Is it wrong to kiss my wife?" he laughed and took a sip of his steaming tea.

"When you were married to Narcissa no; but with me it's weird."

"Oh come off it Granger!" he laughed loudly, "you have no qualms about Severus biting you while you come all over me but I kiss you on the cheek and you all of the sudden get nervous? You are an enigma you know that?"

"Shut up Lucius," She muttered at a loss for something better to say. He ignored her and continued his laugher, leaning over he pressed another unwelcome kiss to her cheek making her smile and roll her eyes. When he pulled away and took a sip from his cup she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, entirely too amused when he followed her suit and froze, "see?! It's unnerving isn't it?!" she laughed and gently punched his arm making him smile and laugh along with her.

/

"This is preposterous." Lucius snarled as Hermione earnestly perused the aisle.

"Not as preposterous as the fit you threw over wearing muggle clothing." She reached forward and plucked a DVD from the rack much to his chagrin.

"What on earth are these things anyway?" he fumbled with the plastic case until it opened and the disk fell out into his hands, "it's so thin…" he turned the disk this way and that, inspecting it as though it were a UFO.

"It's called a DVD, it plays movies," She laughed and dropped another container into their basket that was almost filled to the brim, "we might be able to learn something from it."

"You have two of the same movie things." He pointed into the basket with confusion.

"This is the original," she picked up one case, "and this is a remake." She picked up another and showed it to him amusedly.

"Well it's silly if you ask me." He scoffed as she dropped the cases back into the basket.

"Luckily no one asked you Lucius." She sneered and turned back to the shelves.

"You have quite a mouth Granger," he whispered in her ear, suddenly pressed against her he grabbed her butt and gave it a squeeze making her jump and gasp, "I can't wait to put it to work tonight."

"You talk as though that is what's going to happen tonight." She smirked up at him and turned around to wrap her arms around his shoulders and press her lips against his. He dropped the basket to the floor and buried his hands in her hair as her tongue snaked out and licked at the seam of his lips which he too readily opened and returned the gesture.

"So is that what we are doing tonight?" he whispered against her lips when they both pulled back to take a breath.

"Tonight we are watching movies." She smiled and picked up the basket.

/

"Severus should be up any second now." Hermione smiled as she pulled the very muggle tater tot surprise from the oven that Lucius was still hesitant about trying. She knew she was acting like a regular Suzy home-maker but she couldn't help but love the look on his face at some of the things she had shown him.

"That looks like vomit." Lucius nodded to the hot pan she held in her hands.

"Well its vomit you are going to eat." She set the pan down and smiled sweetly up at him.

"We have a chef you know? We should be making him cook or at least going out to eat."

"I know but sometimes it's nice to make your own food." She grabbed a spatula from the drawer and dolloped a healthy serving of the admittedly ugly food onto the plate and handed it to him to which he simply stared with his eyebrows cocked. She served herself some and walked around to sit next to him at the bar. The only thing that would have horrified him more would be if she were to serve it on foam plates but she wasn't that evil; the fact that he was willing to try anything outside his comfort zone was good enough for her.

"Remind me again what's in this." He poked at the mixture with a fork until Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"Ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, tater tots and cheese." She watched as he slowly lifted a forkful up to his lips and gently placed it in his mouth. She couldn't contain her outburst of nearly maniacal laughter when he coughed and had to cover his mouth to keep from spitting it out. She gripped her aching sides and leaned back as she watched him she watching him force it down his throat on a gulp.

"That is atrocious!" he declared once the food was safely in his stomach.

"It certainly appears so." They both turned around when Severus called out from behind them. Hermione's laughter increased tenfold when she took in his appearance; an all-black tailored suit, no tie and large poofs of black lace coming from the ends of his sleeves.

"What is so funny?" he demanded, clearly not as jovial as they were.

"You look like a regular Lestat you know that?" she chuckled.

"Who?"

"Never mind," She smiled and shoved her plate away, "you're right, that is awful. Maybe we could order a pizza or something." Lucius looked ten times more horrified at that suggestion than he had at the tater tot surprise.

"We shall have the chef make something; I'm never allowing you in a kitchen again."

"Well then," she laughed and jumped off the bar stool, "I shall go prepare the DVD player while you order the chef around." She walked towards the living room, standing on tip toes and kissing Severus on the cheek as she went.

"Where are you off to?" she asked as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV Lucius hadn't even known was here.

"I need to feed." Was all he said but it was enough to make Hermione stop.

"And you just plan to pick up some unwitting girl and drink from her?!" she demanded, her good mood vanquished at the image of Severus intimately drinking from another woman.

"Would you rather I use you?" he snarled, his fangs on full display as he stalked towards her predatorily; his hunger was obvious.

"Yes I would!" she shouted. He opened his mouth as if to take her up on her offer but snapped it shut; she could see the turmoil in his eyes but refused to show mercy.

"I couldn't do that to you; not the way I need to do it." He whispered. Turning around he walked over to the front door and yanked it open, only sparing her a sideways glance before he stepped outside and slammed it shut. Hermione shouted in frustration and kicked the leg of the coffee table. She hated the way both men were making her feel; as though she was losing control of the situation quickly.

"Trouble in paradise?" Lucius smirked as he leaned against the wall.

"Shut up Malfoy!" she shouted, filled with more anger than she knew what to do with, "please just drop it and sit down on the sofa."

"What are we watching?" he asked as they both plopped down onto the cushions. She pressed play on the remote that she had to pick up from the floor and leaned against him, trying desperately to forget Severus and what he was doing.

"Dracula, the original. It was made around the time you were born." She smiled inwardly as he watched the screen; his face falling as the title screen appeared in black and white.

"I'm not this old!" he laughed and gave her a shove making her laugh.

"Pretty close…" she smirked. He grunted and pulled her closer, her head resting on his shoulder as they watched the very beginning of the film.

After half an hour had passed with them both watching the movie, neither saying a word to each other, her eyelids began to fall. Weariness began rapidly overcoming her until she was falling asleep with his arm around her shoulder.

"Lucius." she muttered, not yet asleep.

"Yes?" he whispered, still thoroughly engrossed in the movie.

"I love you too."


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione was woken by the sounds of the DVD menu playing the haunting yet enchanting title music of Dracula. Darkness filled the room so completely she gathered it had to be the middle of the night as was also evident by Lucius still sitting up but sleeping, his mouth slightly open releasing sighs and small snoring sounds. She groaned and rubbed her face, momentarily confused as to her whereabouts but that was quickly forgotten by the door opening and slamming against the wall making her jump up from the sofa and whip around to see who was there.

Severus came stumbling into the foyer, his right shoulder dragging along the wall lest he fall on his ass. Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her foot at the pitiful sight he presented. He was drunk but she wasn't sure how he had accomplished it.

"Hermione!" he called out once he saw her. She walked over and flipped a random light switch on, his figure was bathed in warm light showcasing his mussed clothing and blood soaked face that made her gasp.

"Did you fucking murder someone?!" she took a few steps back when he chuckled and dramatically reached up to his cheek and swiped a healthy dose of blood into his mouth, sucking it from his equally blooding appendage with adamant fervor.

"She was tasty." He growled, his fangs still poking through making her heart rate pick up speed. It felt like being in a room with a wild animal that could strike at any moment without hesitation and she would be completely unable to stop him.

"Well I'm going to bed, clean yourself up before you get blood on anything." She shrugged him off, more for her own benefit, and walked over to shut the DVD player and TV off; Lucius still sat on the sofa snoring, clearly out of it.

"The only thing tastier was you," he muttered making her jump, suddenly standing behind her. Before she could blink she was in his arms, her back to his chest as he wrapped his arms around hers so she could not move; his face pressed against hers smearing the blood all over her clean skin, "if I hadn't seen the proof with my own eyes I would have guessed you were a virgin; only virgins taste so sweet… like vanilla and scotch melting over my tongue and slithering down my throat. You've no idea how hard it makes me…" he snarled and pressed his erection against her backside making her stiffen and groan in discomfort at not only the sensation but the thick metallic scent of blood flowing from him.

"You are sick Severus." She snarled when he rubbed his cheek more fervently against hers.

"I have been waiting so long to taste you Hermione," he whispered, his lips against her ears, "but it isn't your blood I want to drink up; oh no, what I have in mind is something far tastier and succulent." A sick sort of arousal welled up inside her at the insinuation he was making.

"Don't talk to me like that, it's foul." She lied.

"Do not deny it Granger!" he snarled, "the thought of me licking and sucking your pussy until you explode in my mouth is just as appealing to you as sucking my dick."

"Severus stop…" she whispered when his tongue darted out and licked the shell of her ear. If it weren't for the stench and sight of blood the whole situation would be massively appealing to her; being talked dirty to by the professor she had long since had a huge crush on, every girl's dream, "Is she dead?" she whispered, unable to stop herself.

"No she's not dead," he scoffed, "trust me Granger she enjoyed it."

"Then why are you covered in blood?" she demanded, shoving herself from his arms she was finally able to take a deep breath that wasn't laced with coagulated blood.

"We got a little…" he smudged another dollop of blood from his other cheek and popped his finger in his mouth, sucking it dramatically, "carried away."

"What's going on?" Lucius suddenly called from the sofa, his voice thick with that kind of deep sleep that only came once or twice a night, "Why do you look like you've just murdered someone?"

"He didn't murder anyone," Hermione chimed in, "he just got a little 'carried away' right Severus?"

"You best be off to bed Granger." Was all he said. She was quick to obey; his glittering, nearly black eyes made her hesitant to stay. She quickly made her way around the sofa and up the stairs taking them two at a time. Lucius, however, was more slow about it; not having seen what she had seen made him more jovial about the whole situation.

She ignored the fact that Lucius was still taking the steps slowly and darted into their room. Rushing into the bathroom she slammed the door shut, locked it and ripped her blood smeared shirt over her head. Looking in the mirror she almost dry heaved at the sight of dark red blood covering the left side of her face. Immediately she turned the faucet on and began scrubbing at her face, not even waiting for the water to heat up.

"Hermione!" Lucius knocked on the bathroom door.

"Just a minute!" she called out, her stomach turning at the pink hue the water had taken on. She stepped back and yanked the rest over her clothing off even if they weren't covered in blood until she was stark naked. Grabbing the robe hanging on the back of the door she wrapped it around her now shivering body and shut the water off.

"Are you alright?" he yawned loudly through the door making her sigh and open it.

"I'm fine." She shrugged him off and walked to the bed.

"What's wrong?" he demanded as he laid down in the bed next to where she sat running her hands through her hair.

"Sometimes I wonder if I can handle all of this… you and your baggage, Severus and his major baggage, deceiving the Dark Lord… it all seems like a bit much," She confessed uncomfortably, hoping against all hope he wouldn't lose faith in her, "I mean I have little to no information to give them, I'm married to you which is a forever sort of a deal and Severus goes out butchering unsuspecting women and I'm supposed to accept it as a reality. How am I supposed to cope?!" she began feeling neurotic when the tears fell from her eyes, something she hated happening as of late.

"Day by day is how you cope with it Granger," he informed her evenly if not sleepily, "how do you think I felt? My son, my only child, mindlessly serves him as though he were an Inferi. He brutally murdered my wife right before my eyes and I was expected to show no emotion. He turned my best friend that I have known since we were both children at Hogwarts into a bloodsucking vampire. So listen to me and take the advice I give you; the way you cope with everything is taking each day as it comes, don't sweat the small stuff just do what you need to do and enjoy what you can." She remained silent. There was a great deal of wisdom in what he said and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"Thank you Lucius." Was the best she could come up with.

"That movie was riveting by the way." He smiled and reached up to grab her arm and pull her down to the bed so she laid snuggly against his side.

"Learn anything valuable?" she asked.

"Not really." He laughed.

"Well at least now you know that not all muggle inventions are useless. The Television is actually pretty awesome." She laughed along with him until the humor was gone and they sat in awkward silence.

"Hermione…" he began tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"I know you were awake when you said that." She was tempted to play dumb and ask what he was talking about but decided against it.

"Yeah…"

"Explain."

"You said it last night in your sleep. I just wanted to return the gesture." She felt like she was throwing him under the bus but being caught in the spotlight was making her uncomfortable.

"Is it true?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She raised her head and looked up at him, watching his eyes to see if she could gain the answer from them. Slowly he pulled his arm from under her head and propped his head on his hand, turning his body towards her so he was almost leaning over her he stared into her eyes for what felt like a very awkward eternity. Gently he reached out and stroked her cheekbone with his thumb as his face drew closer and closer to hers until their noses were just barely touching.

"Ask me." He whispered; breath hot on her face and smelling of peppermint.

"Do you love me?" it took everything she had to ask and suddenly she felt like someone who had just been hit by a car, the person who did so standing over her contemplating whether or not to do the right thing and call an ambulance; so much of her hinged on his answer and she hated that.

"Yes," He whispered, "do you love me?" the look in his eyes was just as raw and visceral as the emotions coursing through her.

"Yes… against my better judgment I love you Lucius Malfoy." She confessed.

"We really shouldn't feel this way… I've been preaching against it ever since Severus first proposed the idea of us marrying. Everything in me is fighting against this." He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Me too," she countered while her lips were still gently pressed against his, "I've hated you for so long. It feels wrong to suddenly care about you."

"This is very dangerous, I hope you realize that."

"I do."

"When we are around Voldemort I cannot allow these emotions to show," he pressed his lips more insistently against hers, his breath coming in labored draws, "if he orders me to Crucio you again I must obey; but know that I love you."

"God this all sounds so sick…" she mused on a whisper once his lips let up and she could breathe.

"What about this situation _isn't _sick?" he laughed, gently kissing her nose.

"Nothing actually," She laughed right back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "but just know that I knew ever since you begged me to wake up from that Cruciatus you dealt me." She whispered against his neck.

"I thought you were just babbling." He laughed again.

"Nope, what gave you away were the sorry's and the begging; Lucius Malfoy never begs so I knew it had to be serious." She smiled against him and tightened her arms, afraid to lose this moment with him.

"Let's go to sleep." He muttered after a few moments of silence had passed between them.

"What are you talking about? How could you sleep after this? I can you sleep with that?" she pulled away and nodded down towards his erection that had been pressing against her hip for the better part of five minutes.

"Normally I wouldn't but honestly I'm exhausted and I just want to get back to sleeping." He kissed her gently on the forehead before flopping down onto the bed beside her and yanking her in so he was pressed against her from behind.

"But…" she began.

"We'll take care of it _first _thing tomorrow." He chuckled.


End file.
